


7 Times Stray Kids Saved Jeongin and 1 Time He Saved Them

by EvenMadderHatter



Series: Jeongin Centric- Superhero AU [1]
Category: K-pop, Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Cute Yang Jeongin | I.N, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Loves Yang Jeongin | I.N, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, How Do I Tag, Hurt Yang Jeongin | I.N, I Don't Even Know, I use that tag too much, M/M, Shy Yang Jeongin | I.N, Superheroes, The Author Regrets Nothing, Yang Jeongin | I.N is Whipped, Yang Jeongin | I.N-centric, and really badass, completely self-indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-10-25 14:31:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 31,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17726981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvenMadderHatter/pseuds/EvenMadderHatter
Summary: Jeongin a reporter at JYP News, specialises in reporting on superheroes- especially a certain group of heroes. The Stray Kids. Jeongin is also a clumsy nugget who has a knack for getting in trouble and being in the wrong places at the wrong times.Basically, I love my cute little baby maknae and I want him to suffer. ˢᵒʳʳʸ 'ᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᶦᵗ?7 times Jeongin gets saved by the famous Superheroes, Stray Kids, and 1 time he saves them.





	1. The Lightning Hero of Seoul, Scintil

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I don't know what's gotten into me lately but I've been obsessed with superheroes/superpowers AUs. I just finished an NCT one and now I've started a Stray Kids one (ᅌᴗᅌ* ) *ʳᵉᵗʰᶦⁿᵏˢ ˡᶦᶠᵉ ᶜʰᵒᶦᶜᵉˢ
> 
> Anyway, this fic will be updated pretty quickly at first but the updates may slow down as school is going to get pretty tough soon. 
> 
> Welp, I hope you enjoy this & thanks for reading!  
> °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

"This is JYP News' Yang Jeongin reporting live from the scene of a dangerous attack committed by the infamous Villains dubbed the Antis. Several Heroes have emerged to fight the dangerous Villains, including the famed Stray Kids, who are Korea's new group of Heroes. Our cameras have already spotted Stray Kids' Princeps and Cerberus nearby. It's only minutes before-" Jeongin yelped in pain as a laser seared his shoulder, burning part of his shirt off. 

Clutching his arm, he looked up at his attacker. It was Thrice. One of the most dangerous Antis. Thrice was known for targeting the famous group of female Heroes, Twice. Jeongin found the name "Thrice" to be pathetically unoriginal but decided not to comment at the moment. 

Thrice grabbed the cameraman and aimed his camera at her face, letting the audience see her manic smile. "Keep it rollin', boys," She smirked and strutted towards Jeongin, grabbing him by the neck of his shirt. "Aw, poor little boy, are you scared?" She sang mockingly, tracing his cheek dangerously with a sharp, red-painted nail. Jeongin flinched sharply as she pressed his cheek harder. A sting ran through the nerves of his skin as she sliced a small cut across his cheek. He could feel a drop of blood pearl on the smooth surface of his skin. 

"Listen up Seoul! Us Antis are ending the reign of Heroes today, and there's nothing you can do about it! Now let me show you what'll happen to humans who misbehave. Just in case you were thinking about doing so…" She grabbed Jeongin's neck with her other hand and pressed her nails against it hard. Looking up through watering eyes, Jeongin could see Thrice's eyes glow redder and redder. One of her powers, he recalled, was shooting infrared lasers out of her eyes. That explained what happened to his shirt, he numbly thought as her nails dug further into the soft flesh of his neck, drawing blood. 

He closed his eyes, hoping no one was still watching the broadcast. He didn't want them to see this. What if his parents were watching? This wasn't the first time he had been in a dangerous situation because of his job, and Jeongin had suffered greatly for it. His mom especially had tried to convince him to quit, and now Jeongin was wondering if he should have. Then again, he had met his best friends at his job, and he wouldn't trade them for anything. Although, Minho would definitely yell at him if he got out of this alive. 

A burning heat started to build up between him and Thrice and he braced himself for the searing blaze of the lasers burning into him. Instead, heard a deafening crack and looked up just in time to see the sky split apart with brilliant blue lightning. 

A bolt arced through the sky as if Zeus himself had thrown it. It raced towards them almost faster than the eye could follow in a calculated curve, but Jeongin could tell that at its current movement, it would miss the villain by mere centimetres. He had to do something, and fast. Before the bolt of lightning hit the concrete ground next to them, Jeongin kicked Thrice away, sending her falling onto the ground just as the bolt hit the ground. The two collided and Jeongin winced at her scream as the villain convulsed. 

A dark-clothed figure stepped in front of Jeongin just as he fell backwards from shock. The figure wore a familiar black costume highlighted with electric blue, lightning-shaped streaks. A matching blue cape fluttered behind him regally in the soft breeze that circled around them. Jeongin stared open-mouthed at the Hero as he looked back at him and offered him a hand. "Nice kick." The Hero noted before asking, "Are you okay?" His voice was concerned but strong. Jeongin nodded, too awestruck to speak. The Hero before him was Scintil, 'The Lightning Hero of Seoul". He was part of the elusive group of Heroes, Stray Kids. Under his black and blue domino mask- which was framed by messy black hair- Jeongin could see his bright blue eyes, crackling with electricity. Jeongin had only been a reporter at JYP News for a year or so but had been able to meet so many Heroes while reporting. Scintil was one of his favourites simply because he always seemed to care about the civilians greatly and was one of the few Heroes who didn't cause a ton of destruction, even though his power would easily let him. "Um, Jeongin? Are you hurt?" Jeongin snapped his eyes up to those scintillating blue irises and rushed to respond, realizing he had been staring for a while. 

"Ah, Mr. Scintil, s-sir! I'm sorry, um, I-I'm f-fine." He accepted the Hero's outstretched hand with a shaky smile and let the Hero help him up. Scintil smirked at him cheekily and brought Jeongin's hand up to his scarlet lips. His lips were extremely soft- almost too soft to believe and Jeongin felt his cheeks burn bright red at the action. He stammered out a quick, "M-Mr. Scintil-" but was interrupted as the Hero gently dropped his hand and gave him a small salute. 

"Sorry, cutie, but I have to go now. Y'know, superhero duties and all that, but if you're ever free then call me." He winked with a devilish grin and took off in a sprint, heading back towards the fights taking place in the city. Jeongin stood on the side of the street awkwardly, rubbing his hand as he tried to figure out what had just happened. At least the camera filming him had stopped working when the lightning bolt hit the ground, he thought numbly as he walked back towards the JYP News Center where he worked. He didn't think that he could deal with his hyungs teasing him about Scintil's meaningless flirting. About halfway to his workplace, Hyunjin- Jeongin's best friend and photographer for JYP News- ran up to him in a hurry, sweaty and out of breath. He flipped his black hair out of his eyes and worriedly asked, "Are you okay, Jeongin? I was out in the city taking pictures of the Heroes for the paper and I heard you were reporting. Hey- you're bleeding!" He gently touched Jeongin's neck and Jeongin saw his crimson-stained fingers as he pulled back. 

Jeongin waved off his concern and smiled at his hyung excitedly, now out of his shocked state. "Those are shallow cuts, Hyunjin hyung. They'll scab over real' quick. More importantly, you won't believe what just happened!" All the way back to their workplace, Jeongin told him about his encounter with Scintil and everything that had happened. The younger was positively gushing about the Hero, completely oblivious to Hyunjin's knowing smirk and the little sparkle of blue in his brown eyes. 

... 

It would be days later when Jeongin would recall that Scintil had known his name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp I accidentally deleted this note today so yAY * ʷᵃⁿᵗˢ ᵗᵒ ᵈᶦᵉ 
> 
> Anyway, if you didn't guess already, Scintil is Hyunjin! BaM! 
> 
> I'll see you all tomorrow for another update!! 
> 
> bYe ┗( ˙◁˙ )┓三三


	2. The Sonic Hero of Seoul, Vox

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongin goes home from work early, only to run into more trouble. Luckily, a friendly neighbourhood Hero is there to help! (There will be no Spooderman in this fic, however much I love him, I'm sorry my children)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eyyyy I'm back! The positive responses I've been getting for this story have been overwhelmingly good!!! You guys are really inspiring me to keep going! ヾ（＾ヮ＾)ﾉ
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!! I wonder who we'll meet next... ☆ﾟ°˖* ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

After the day he had just had, Jeongin's boss let him leave work early to recuperate at home, despite Jeongin's reassurances that he could continue working. Secretly, Jeongin thought that Minho and Woojin might have had something to do with his boss's orders, as he had seen the editor and news director in their boss' office, which could only mean that they were trying to convince him of something. The two of then only went to their boss together during those sorts of situations. Besides, both were the motherly type and as soon as they had seen the scratches and blood on Jeongin's neck and cheek they had freaked out and gone all mother-hen on him. Jeongin could still hear Felix and Jisung's laughter from when they had watched Minho and Woojin coddle him and stick way too many band-aids than necessary on his face and neck. 

Nonetheless, Jeongin was sort of grateful for the pause from work. Seungmin and Changbin had offered to walk him home just in case- Jeongin did seem to encounter a lot of trouble when alone- but he had politely declined, saying that he would be okay. He didn't want to be a nuisance towards them- he knew they had a lot of work to do. Besides, a quiet walk home might be a nice contrast to the hectic day he had. Or so he had thought. But of course, with his dumb luck, Jeongin just had to run into more trouble. 

He walked down a long street, making a couple turns here and there as he enjoyed the late Winter's weather. It wasn't too late in the evening, but since it was Winter it was already beginning to get dark. Jeongin knew enough about the streets of Seoul at night to know that he really should be at home soon if not right at that moment. 

That was proven in the following seconds when a hand came flying out of nowhere and grabbed his jacket, pulling him into a nearby alley. He was shoved against the wall harshly and his neck snapped back, making his head slam into the hard stone wall behind him. 

Groaning in pain, he forced himself to look up at his attacker. Two yellow eyes masked by a black hood stared back at him with a wild gleam shining in them. Jeongin swallowed thickly and pressed against the wall, gripping the bricks like a lifeline. 

"Give me your wallet or else." The person growled out, bringing a hand up. Jeongin caught a flash of silver and tensed as he realised what it was. The mugger pushed the sharp knife against Jeongin's collarbone, at the base of his neck. 

Jeongin tried not to shake as he slowly reached inside his satchel for his wallet, hoping that someone, anyone, would come to help him. Oh, he knew his mom would yell at him for putting himself in danger if he made it out of this situation. Why hadn't he taken up Seungmin and Changbin's offer? 

His thoughts were interrupted by the man pressing the side of his knife closer to Jeongin's neck menacingly, encouraging him to hurry up. Jeongin handed over his wallet with tears pooling in his eyes, holding back scared whimpers. 

The mugger looked through the wallet, seeming content with what he'd found. Before he went, however, he brandished his knife and gestured wildly at his wrist. "Take it off." 

Jeongin looked down and nearly lost it. He was wearing the watch that Chan had gotten him for his 17th birthday when he had first started interning at JYP News. Chan had been an assistant producer at the company at the time and had taken Jeongin under his wing. Chan had gifted him that watch when he had finally been hired full-time for the company. That watch had so many memories attached to it, and Jeongin couldn't even think of giving it up. 

"No, I ca-can't." Steeling himself, he repeated himself again. "I won't." 

The mugger growled at him and pressed the knife harder against his skin, almost drawing blood. Why did all the baddies have to target his neck region? Jeongin thought it wasn't fair. 

"Take. It. Off." The man breathed out roughly, his grip on the knife tightening. 

"Hey, jerk, he said he didn't want to. What part of that don't you understand?" A new voice rang out and both Jeongin and the mugger turned to see who it belonged to. Jeongin promptly proceeded to die as he saw who was standing in the grimy alley a couple meters away. 

"The Sonic Hero of Seoul", Vox stood before him, clad in his trademark purple suit, matching domino mask on. Another member of the Stray Kids. Jeongin thought he was going to faint. 

"Let the boy go," Vox said in a slightly nasal voice. Jeongin strangely felt like he knew that tone of voice but let it go when the Hero stepped a bit closer, arms held out. "You don't have to fight me." 

The mugger looked down at his knife, which he had removed from Jeongin's neck and placed at his side, uncertainty flickering in his crazed pupils. When he looked up at Vox once more, Jeongin knew what he was about to do. He cried out a desperate, "Vox!" just as the armed man ran forward, knife outstretched and swinging. 

Jeongin knowingly covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut just as a piercing shriek sounded out, echoing through the narrow walls of the alleyway. He'd reported on Vox enough to know what the man's power was. When the noise stopped, Jeongin opened his eyes and surveyed the scene in front of him. 

Vox had his hands cupped around his mouth, his stance defensive. The mugger lay at his feet, knife scattered further down the alley. Jeongin couldn't believe he'd just witnessed another Stray Kids member in action. Vox was another well-known Hero, famous for his sonic powers. The media described it as a sonic scream, whilst certain scientists and specialists described it as frequency manipulation and channelling. Jeongin just thought it was awesome. Vox could channel his own screams and change the frequency and volume as he pleased. This power enabled him to create bursts of noise- the "sonic screams". 

"What happened here? Did he hurt you?" The sudden questions pulled Jeongin out of his thoughts and he looked up to meet Vox's worried eyes. 

"Oh- um, no I'm o-okay. Ju-just a little shaken." Jeongin stammered and inwardly cursed. What on Earth happened to his ability to speak properly when he encountered these Heroes? 

"That's good. Now, let's go." Vox took his hand and lead them out of the dim alleyway. He continued to take Jeongin down the street, past shuttered stores and flickering streetlights. 

"W-wait," Jeongin said and Vox turned back with a questioning look. At least Jeongin thought it was questioning- the mask made it hard to tell. "You're going to… walk me home?" Jeongin inquired hesitantly and Vox's features relaxed slightly. 

"Of course I am. It's my duty as a Hero." He continued walking, looking back at Jeongin after he didn't immediately follow him. 

"What if someone else needs your help?" Jeongin asked quietly, eyes glued to the floor. "I don't want you to waste your time on me." 

Silence followed his remark and Jeongin glanced up to check if the Hero was still there. He caught Vox's eyes as they flashed with an emotion that passed too quickly for him to read. The silence continued for a few seconds before Vox took his hand again and crossed the street, pulling him along. They continued walking taciturnity, and Jeongin started to fret, thinking that he'd offended the Hero. The silence did nothing to quell his nerves. 

"Heroes help others, that much is true," Vox stated suddenly, making Jeongin look up at him. "But we have other duties past rescuing civilians from immediate danger. We have to ensure that they are alright and safe- physically and emotionally. Right now I've finished helping you escape from that man. As a Hero, it is my duty to complete the job and make sure that you do not get hurt any more than you already have. By allowing you to get hurt in the first place you could argue that I've failed as a Hero-" 

"No!" Jeongin startled Vox and himself with the sudden outburst, but he continued. "Don't say that. You haven't failed as a Hero." Vox seemed to shake off his shock and now looked curious. Jeongin went on. "Heroes aren't gods. They can't tell when bad things are going to happen and how to stop them. All they can do is be there to protect those who need their help as much as they can. So no, you haven't failed as a Hero. I'd say you've excelled." He stopped, realising that he might have been rambling. He opened his mouth to utter an apology but was interrupted by a small "Thank you." Jeongin smiled up at the Hero and they continued walking. Jeongin wasn't sure what to say after that, but Vox seemed to be too deep in thought anyway, so he was content with the comfortable silence between them. 

A couple minutes into the walk, Jeongin started to shiver slightly in the cold air of the night, cursing himself for leaving his jacket in the office. Jeongin awkwardly let go of Vox's hand to hug himself in an attempt to conserve body heat. Vox didn't say anything about the movement, but a few minutes later Jeongin felt himself get pulled into the Hero's side. He flushed red but was grateful for the rush of warm blood that warmed his cheeks. Vox positively radiated warmth, and Jeongin found himself leaning closer to the Hero. How the Hero managed to stay so warm in what appeared to be a very thin costume remained an enigma to Jeongin, no matter how much he pondered the thought. 

Soon enough, they reached Jeongin's apartment and he quickly walked up to his room and unlocked his door. He looked back to thank Vox, only to see an empty corridor. Jeongin breathed out slightly and smiled despite himself. 

He was so ready to sleep. 

 

Jeongin would come to the realisation days later that Vox had known where he'd lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did ya guess who it waaaaas? 
> 
> If you didn't then... *ᵈʳᵘᵐʳᵒᵒᵒᵒˡˡˡˡˡˡˡ ... Vox is Seungmin!! Tada~ ♪♪♪ ヽ( ᐖゞ)
> 
> Haha, well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you all soon!!


	3. The Invisible Force Hero of Seoul, Cerberus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongin goes with a friend to the bank to run some errands. It's really just his luck that the bank would be robbed right when he walked in. 
> 
> Fortunately, a certain badass Hero is there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you again for all your amazing comments! You all are so sweet!! STaYS ARe AwEsoME 
> 
> Hope you like this chapter!!

A day or two after meeting Vox, Jeongin still remembered with clarity the Hero's warmth pressed against his and his gentle voice as he talked to him. It was such a juxtaposition, he had thought, how the Hero with such a powerful scream would have such a quiet demeanor. 

He wondered, with a giddy feeling, which Stray Kids member he would encounter next. Then he pushed the hopeful thought down, dismissing it coldly. 'Silly me. I was lucky enough to meet two of them. Most people can't even imagine meeting one of the Stray Kids.' Jeongin thought this as he made his way to the bank with his friend Felix. Felix worked with him at JYP News as a researcher. He made sure everything they were reporting was interesting and true. He was also the funniest idiot Jeongin knew. He could make mundane tasks like going to the bank awesome. Which was exactly why Jeongin dragged him along. 

"So, Jeonginnie, I heard you met Vox recently!" Felix said in his deep voice. He smiled broadly at Jeongin, pressing for more information. That's why he's the researcher, Jeongin thought with a grin. 

"He was so cool, hyung. You couldn't even imagine it!" Jeongin retold the events he had gone through with detail, missing how Felix had an amused, knowing grin on his face. 

They reached the bank shortly and Jeongin took a break in the middle of his story in order to finish his business. Felix took a seat on one of the bank's many chairs and patiently waited for Jeongin to finish. 

The younger had just about completed all he'd come to do when the glass windows of the bank suddenly shattered, creating an ear-piercing din. Several people, both men, and women judging by their builds clambered in through their self-made entrances, brandishing guns and weapons. He counted six attackers. Jeongin, too shocked to react quickly, stood there gaping in the middle of the bank. Just his luck to be at a bank at the exact moment it got robbed. 

"Get on your hands and knees! Don't make a move!" A robber shouted, waving his gun around the room. Women scream and men flung themselves to the floor in a panicked response. Jeongin realized a bit too late that he should have done the same and before he could, he found himself the center of the robbers' attention. "You, brat." The robber jerked his head at Jeongin, who trembled slightly as he pointed to himself in question. "Yeah, you. Come over here." 

Jeongin stumbled over, breathing through his nose heavily. The robber grabbed the back of his shirt and forcefully pulled him against himself. Jeongin felt a gun press against his back and he tensed. "Anyone who wants to try any funny business will have to deal with his dead body." The robber scanned the room, meeting everyone's eyes. "Understood?" No one dared to breathe. "Good." 

The robber flicked his eyes over to his accomplice, who nodded and stepped towards the bank employees cowering behind their counters. She tossed them a couple of burlap sacks. "Start filling those." 

Another accomplice took his gun and started shooting the security cameras. The people startled and gasped each time a shot rang out, and a couple of them even started crying softly. Jeongin couldn't believe this was happening. He had just gotten off the phone with his mom last night and she had been furious. She had yelled at him for a full hour (at least) about him needing to be more careful, and look where he was now. Being held hostage at gunpoint at a bank. He could almost hear her screaming now. 

Jeongin snapped back to the present and scanned the room for Felix, desperate to see if his friend was okay. Jeongin couldn't see him from where he was in the room. He couldn't turn around to look behind him because of the gun held to his back so he couldn't know for sure if he wasn't there. Jeongin hoped that he was okay. Inside, he started to panic, thinking of all the terrible things that could happen to his friend. If he died at the bank today it would be all Jeongin's fault- 

His thoughts were luckily interrupted by a large commotion across the room. The robber that had been shooting out the security cameras was now across the room, slumped on the ground unconscious. Another robber seemed to float up in the air before she was thrown across the room and against a wall. She fell to the floor with a pained groan, making no move to get back up. The robber behind Jeongin tensed and Jeongin knew his finger was tightened around the gun's trigger. 

Seeing his chance, Jeongin leaped into action. He whirled around and grabbed the man's hand, flinging it up with all his might. The attacker, caught by surprise, was slow to react and fired straight up into the air. Jeongin wrestled him for the gun and almost got it. Almost. 

The robber slammed an elbow into Jeongin's stomach, stalling him long enough to regain control of the firearm. He aimed it cockily at Jeongin, remarking coldly, "I told you. No funny business or you die. Guess you'll find out what the finest silver tastes like, boy." With that, the man pulled the trigger. 

Or at least, he tried to. 

The gun was torn away from him. It was as if an invisible hand reached out and plucked it from his ready fingers. The metal of the barrel twisted until it was completely useless. The robber screamed in anger, lunging for Jeongin blindly. Jeongin side-stepped the attack, but it wasn't necessary, as the man was suddenly restrained by an invisible force. 

"Oh, no you don't." With that, a figure stepped out of the shadows. He had on a white mask that covered his eyes and half his nose. It was shaped like the skull of a beast, with sharp teeth hanging down from the bottom half of it- forming some sort of mouth guard. A white cape fluttered behind him, complete with the insignia of a three-headed wolf-like creature. 

Cerberus, "The Invisible Force Hero of Seoul", and a member of the Stray Kids. 

Jeongin would later deny that he fangirled a bit when he saw the Hero. (Cerberus had long been one of his favourites, but Jeongin would never admit that.)

"Leave the boy alone. Your business is now with me." Cerberus spoke in a voice that bled power. Jeongin supposed that with anyone else, the voice would be somewhat unsuited to the Hero's more lithe frame, but Cerberus could command a room with his tone alone. Paired with his figure, it just elevated the strength he radiated. Although, Jeongin swore that Cerberus had some sort of accent beneath the depth of his voice. 

The robber cursed under his breath. "Stay out of this, Hero-scum. This wasn't your business, to begin with, and it still isn't." 

Cerberus sighed and lifted a hand. The remaining three robbers flew up and hit the ceiling with a hard noise. Jeongin winced a little but understood that Cerberus was doing it to tactfully restrain the criminals from doing any more damage in the situation. Jeongin noted the Hero's incredible concentration as he held 4 people in his telekinetic grasp. 

"Someone, call the police. I'll restrain them for as long as I can, but it would be better if the authorities came as soon as possible." Some employees nodded and began dialing the emergency number for Villain and Criminal Control for Seoul. "Sorry about that, are you okay?" Jeongin glanced towards the owner of the voice. Cerberus, with his arms outstretched and concentrating, was staring right at him through the holes in his skull-like mask. 

"Y-yes! I'm great, how are you?" Jeongin could kill himself. How are you? How. Are. You. That's what you ask a guy who's holding four people captive with incredible power? Ugh! 

Cerberus seemed amused by his question. "I'm doing quite well, thanks." Jeongin could tell it was in fact, quite the opposite. Cerberus' fingers were shaking slightly and intense concentration seemed to flow through his veins, keeping him in a rigid position. The veins in his neck and arms were very prominent, and Jeongin couldn't help but stare a bit. He caught himself quickly, looking down at the ground in embarrassment. "That was stupid, ya know," 

The sudden words caught him off-guard as he hurried to respond to the Hero. "Huh?" 

Cerberus rolled his eyes but didn't seem annoyed. "You grabbing that guy's gun- A nice move but not very well thought out." 

Jeongin frowned, crossing his arms over his chest protectively. "I stopped him, didn't I?"

Cerberus cocked his head to one side. "You did," Jeongin waited for a second. "But," 

There it is, He thought with a sigh. 

"But," Cerberus repeated. "It was a dangerous and reckless move that would've gotten you killed if I hadn't intervened." Jeongin pouted, feeling strangely embarrassed. It wasn't fun to have one of your idols berate you. "Doesn't mean it wasn't a badass move though," Cerberus winked at him with a lopsided grin. 

Without knowing it, Jeongin found himself returning the grin. 

"Now, finish your payment and get back to your friend. He must be getting tired of waiting for you." Cerberus finished cheekily just as Jeongin began to hear approaching sirens. In a few minutes, the police arrived and apprehended the six criminals. Cerberus promised to send in a report later detailing what happened, and with that, he was gone. 

Jeongin was released quickly after by the police and he ran outside, looking for Felix. He saw his freckled friend waiting by a bus stop a couple of meters away from the bank. The two embraced and Felix explained to him that he managed to sneak behind the bank counters and he witnessed the whole thing. Felix rubbed Jeongin's head, proudly saying that he had been brave- but only after he had slapped him upside the head and yelled at him for being so reckless. 

Then the two of them went out for ice cream. 

It would dawn on him days later that Cerberus had known he was with a friend at the bank.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thx everyone for reading!!
> 
> Have a fabulous day or night! 
> 
> The next chapter will be uploaded in a day or two, so I'll see you then (*ゝω・)ﾉ


	4. The Healing Hero of Seoul, Guardian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongin had thought that the first time he had met Scintil in person would be the last time, but evidently, it was not. Furthermore, it turned out that Scintil brought a friend. 
> 
> Basically, I hurt my boy too much and I'm sorryyyyyyyy  
> |ω・`)ﾉ  
> |ω･`)  
> |･`)Hides♪

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> Sorry that this update is a little late- my life has been getting pretty hectic. 
> 
> I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day!! (Or as my drama teacher likes to say: I hope you all had a wonderful "Singles Awareness Day" AKA "S.A.D." ಥ◡ಥ)
> 
> But in all seriousness, thank you all for sticking with me and this story! I hope you all know that a lot of people in your life love and care for you!!  
> ﾟ･:*:･｡(〃･ω･)ﾉ Happy Valentine’s Dayヽ(･ω･〃)｡･:*:･ﾟ

Jeongin had thought that the first time he had met Scintil in person would be the last time, but evidently, it was not. 

It had been a slow day for the news industry, and he had been out reporting on some small criminal and Villain activity in the city when his news team had caught wind of a huge fight about to take place between one of the Antis- Rebellion- and a couple Heroes. Jeongin had been tasked with reporting on the fight. 

He and his team had just gotten to the site of the commotion when he saw them. Scintil stood a couple meters away, his suit glowing with blue energy. He had his hands outstretched in front of him and they were crackling with lightning. Bright cyan electricity shot out of his fingers and sparked on the ground, illuminating the street in light azure flashes. Jeongin told his team to keep their distance, as he didn't want their cameras to go out or malfunction due to the exposure of high voltage electricity. 

Across from Scintil stood an imposing figure dressed in black. He had on a large black cape that was eerily still against the slight wind that whirled through the street and a monochromatic mask that covered his entire face, leaving only two slits for his eyes to see out of. Jeongin didn't fail to see the twin silver pistols gleam from where they were clutched in his gloved hands. It was Rebellion, the Anti famous for targetting the famous superhero group BTS. 

Jeongin turned to report to the camera the events that were going on. "Right now we're at the site of a battle about to take place between Scintil and Rebellion, the famous Anti. We're waiting to hear more news about the nature of the fight, so stay tuned for more." 

Within seconds of surveying the scene again, Jeongin noticed that Scintil wasn't the only Hero there. To the side of him, almost blending in with the background of the alleyway he was crouched in, was a Hero dressed in white and gold. He had a white domino mask framed with feathers and a round, gold shield strapped to his arm. Jeongin recognized him in a flash. It was Guardian- yet another member of the Stray Kids. 

Jeongin had long since admired Guardian for his bravery. He was the only Stray Kids member who didn't have an offensive superpower, yet he still put himself in danger to save the citizens of Seoul, like any other of his teammates. 

"So, I see you've decided to join the party, Guardian." Rebellion's voice called out and Jeongin could imagine the Villain's sneer clearly, even if it was hidden behind his mask. Jeongin shrunk back a bit behind the corner he was hiding in but made sure the cameras were still filming. He had a job to do, after all. 

Guardian stepped out of the shadows which hid him, no doubt seeing no reason to continue hiding if he'd been discovered. He took his place next to Scintil, who acknowledged his partner with a nod and a cheeky, "Took you long enough." 

Guardian clearly rolled his eyes behind his mask but kept his focus on the Villain he faced. "Rebellion. What are you doing here?" 

Said Villain chuckled and leaned forward. "What do you mean? Do I have to have a reason to want to meet two of my favourite Heroes?" He stepped forward, cocking his head to the side. 

"Stay back. We won't hesitate to fight you if you engage, Rebellion. Now tell us your real intentions." Scintil grew more serious, eyeing the dark-clothed man warily. 

"What?" Rebellion drawled out, seeming to play with the Heroes before him. "Can't an old friend say 'hi' to his pals? Why does everyone always assume the worst of us villains? That makes me very sad." The villain seemed to pout behind his mask, his voice mockingly sad. 

"Stop with the games, Rebellion. This has gone on long enough." Scintil stepped forward, ignoring his partner's muted warning. Scintil's hands crepitated with electricity as he took an offensive stance. 

Jeongin saw the Villain's hand raise slightly and knew what was going to happen. Without thinking, he launched himself out of his hiding place and sprinted to Scintil as fast as humanly possible. He reached him just as the shot rang out and shoved the Hero with all his might. Scintil fell to the ground with a startled noise as Jeongin dragged him down. All he could feel was the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins, amplifying the thudding of his heart. Rebellion's left gun was held up, smoking slightly from the barrel. He had just shot at Scintil. Jeongin had just saved the Hero from a gunshot wound. 

Guardian deserved credit for reacting as fast as he did. The white-clad hero rushed forward after the distraction and kicked the guns out of Rebellion's hands in quick succession. He grabbed Rebellion's shoulder and wrist and flipped him over his own shoulder and onto the hard ground. Rebellion was soon incapacitated and unable to do any more harm. 

That was when Jeongin felt the adrenaline wear off, and a rush of pain hit him like a truck. He looked to the side at his shoulder- the source of the pain- to find that it was steadily bleeding crimson onto the blue of his shirt. The blue fabric was nearly black in the area because of the blood. He'd been shot by Rebellion. "Oh, crap," He breathed out, groaning as he thought about the intense berating from Woojin, Chan, and Minho that he'd receive later. 

"Jeongin! You idiot, what did you do!" Scintil yelled at him- more of an exclamation than a question. Scintil ripped off part of his cape, tearing the blue material. He wadded up the fabric and pressed it to Jeongin's shoulder as a makeshift dressing, trying to slow the bleeding so his blood could clot. "Guardian! Get over here!" Scintil's voice held genuine panic in it and in turn, Jeongin felt fear rise up in himself. 

Guardian was next to them in a flash and assessed the situation quickly. "Hey," He said, gaining Jeongin's attention. "You're going to be alright, okay? Don't worry, just breathe." Jeongin looked up at his warm brown eyes and felt a sense of relief run through him, quelling the panic coursing through his veins. He truly believed that everything would be okay. 

Guardian glanced at Scintil with a look in his eyes that Jeongin couldn't quite read, but Scintil seemed to know it well. The electric Hero stepped back from Jeongin, albeit quite reluctantly. His hands were still slightly outstretched, yearning to help. 

Guardian pressed a careful hand to Jeongin's shoulder and said calmly, "This is going to hurt for three seconds, okay? Just three. Then you'll be all better." Something in the way he talked soothed Jeongin. It was incredibly familiar to him, for some reason. Guardian gave him a little countdown, and then a warm, golden hue surrounded them. It appeared to come right from Guardian's hands- which Jeongin noted were very large. They reminded him of a bear's, he thought distantly. "Jeongin, I need you to keep talking for me, okay?" 

Jeongin nodded and asked, "'Bout what?" 

Guardian smiled and Jeongin really wanted to tell him how pretty it was but the Hero spoke before he could. "Anything. Maybe about your friends? Or your birthday party?" 

Jeongin's smile grew as he recalled his hyungs and the party that they threw for him. They had all gone through so much trouble to get everything perfect, and it had been. He started retelling the events that had happened- everything from the cake that Minho had made him and the games that Felix and Jisung had organized. Guardian kept him talking, and while it seemed like it had been hours, it had probably only been mere minutes or even seconds. 

A small metal clink drew his mind away from the random thoughts and he looked up to see Guardian holding a little, metal bullet. Jeongin's eyes widened in surprise. He had felt no pain at all. He turned to examine his shoulder, pulling down his sleeve to check the wound. Sure enough, no sign of the bullet remained. Just a round circle of lighter skin on his arm, that was it. Guardian had healed him. He was after all dubbed "The Healing Hero of Seoul". 

"Are you feeling okay?" Scintil's worried voice called over to him and Jeongin gave him a weak thumbs up. 

"Peachy," Jeongin muttered sleepily and sat up, leaning heavily on Guardian's plated shoulder. Guardian, surprisingly enough, let him. Jeongin fought to try and keep his eyes open but felt suddenly drained. 

"Sleep," A voice said, and Jeongin faintly recognized it as Guardian's. "It's okay, you're safe now." Jeongin nodded numbly and clung a bit tighter to the warmth surrounding him. Soon, he was asleep and out of it.

Jeongin later would swear that he heard a bunch of cooing voices and a very familiar sounding voice say, "Where is my camera? I swear, Wooj, if you left it at the office-" and a shushing after, but that might have just been a dream.

 

Days later, Jeongin would recall that Guardian knew when his birthday was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! 
> 
> Since my work-load and all has started to pick up and I've recently doubled my extracurriculars, I might be slower to update than usual! I promise I won't abandon this fic tho! (I love my superhero bois too much ≧◠◡◠≦) 
> 
> Anyway, could y'all tell who Guardian was? I'll give you a hint- I assigned the most mother-bear power to the most mother-bear like of the group. (He's also my fav little bear ʕ -ᴥ-ʔﾉ ) 
> 
> That's all for now! I'll see you all next time!! byeヾ(･∀･`o)ﾉ))


	5. The Ice-Cold Hero of Seoul, Cygnus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongin had never really been a fan of bars or clubs. They were always a bit too loud and busy for him. He'd much rather spend a night home alone with some movies on and some snacks, lounging in his pyjamas. Of course, his friends were much different. 
> 
> Poor Innie runs into some trouble in a bar and a certain icy Hero comes to help him out >w<

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry for the wait!! 
> 
> I hope you like this chapter- it's probably one of my favourites :D 
> 
> Have fun!! (´∀｀)

Jeongin had never really been a fan of bars or clubs. They were always a bit too loud and busy for him. He'd much rather spend a night home alone with some movies on and some snacks, lounging in his pyjamas. Of course, his friends were much different. 

Minho, Seungmin, and Changbin had dragged him out to a new club- Club 96- in an attempt to "get him a social life" in the nice words of Minho. 

So there Jeongin was, awkwardly sitting at a table, drink in front of him, alone and sulky. Minho was off in the club somewhere dancing his heart out, no doubt. Jeongin was never a fan of dancing- he wasn't bad at it, per se, but it wasn't the first thing he would want to do on a Friday night. Besides, he had work tomorrow- on a Saturday. His boss had broken it to him as gently as he could that he needed some extra workers on Saturday for a special on the Stray Kids. His hyungs had seemed very excited about it, which didn’t really surprise him. They were always talking about the Stray Kids, although they had stopped talking about them recently, he noted. Thinking of his hyungs, he remembered that Seungmin had slipped away, claiming that he had to meet someone a couple blocks away. He didn't elaborate and Jeongin didn't want to be rude and pry, so he had just nodded and let him go. Seungmin did promise that he'd be back soon and Jeongin didn't really mind waiting. He just didn't think he'd be waiting for so long. Jeongin sipped his mocktail, trying to look for Changbin in the midst of the dimly lit club. It was impossible, he found. There were way too many gyrating and moving bodies swarming the club and Jeongin couldn't see past the first line of them. 

Giving up, he decided that he'd just try and get to the bar. He was beginning to get a headache from all the flashing lights and the bar had to have water, right? Well, it turned out that he never made it to the bar to check. 

Jeongin waded through the sea of people, almost falling multiple times. He thought he saw Minho a couple times but he had no idea where Changbin could be. He didn't even know if he really saw Minho or not- everyone in the club had started to look the same. His elder hyung had sat down next to him earlier and they had chatted for a bit before Jeongin had started to feel bad. He recalled himself whining at his hyung to "go and do something fun!" and his embarrassment and slight happiness when Changbin had responded with a sly, "This is fun Innie." Jeongin had felt like he was holding Changbin back from having a good time, despite Changbin's reassurances. Eventually, Jeongin had won and Changbin reluctantly set off to find Minho with the promise that he'd "try and socialise." 

Now Jeongin wished he hadn't so adamantly pushed his hyung away. Feeling his head pound, he picked up the pace, pushing past some people with small apologies. He had just spotted the counters of the bar when something pulled his arm and he was shoved towards one of the walls. Jeongin yelped as his back touched the cool brick of the wall and a warm hand clenched around his wrist. 

A heavily intoxicated woman stood before him, swaying slightly on her feet. Her pupils were blown so much that Jeongin could barely see her hazel irises. He struggled to get free of her vice-like grip, to no avail. 

"Hey, darlin' what's a cutie like you doing all alone?" The woman breathed out, her speech slurred slightly. Jeongin nearly gagged at the overwhelming smell of alcohol that suddenly polluted the air in front of him. 

"I-I just wanted to go to th-the bar." Jeongin stammered, looking over the woman's shoulder at the flashing lights behind her. Where were Minho and Changbin? 

"Hmm, are you even old enough to drink, sweetie?" The woman preened, leaning closer to him. Jeongin swallowed nervously and shook his head. The legal drinking age was 19 in Korea, he was only 18. 

"I- um I was going to get w-water, but-" He was cut off by the woman laughing. She acted as if it was the funniest thing she had heard all night, and Jeongin began to wonder if she was okay. Perhaps she had drunk too much and needed to sit down. "D-do you want me to get you a glass, Miss? 

She continued to lean on Jeongin heavily, still holding his wrist tightly. "Hmm, I'm fine. You could get me something else though," She placed his hand on her waist and held it there. Jeongin gulped, trying to understand what the hell was happening. "Perhaps night with you." She smirked and placed her hands on the wall so that Jeongin's head was between them. She leaned in even closer and Jeongin began to panic. She had to know he was gay- right? Or at least too young to do anything with her legally. He shuddered at the thought. 

"Um- Miss, I think you have the wrong idea, I-I'm-" 

"Shh," She drawled, placing a finger on his lips. Jeongin squeezed his eyes shut and shrunk in on himself. His head was pounding terribly and he found himself wishing desperately for Seungmin or Minho or Changbin to come and save him. His prayers were answered, but not in the way he thought they'd be. 

"Ma'am, please step away from the boy. You do not have his consent." A deep voice rang out in the club and the sound of several people turning to look echoed through the club. Jeongin opened his eyes to take a peek at the person who basically just commanded the attention of an entire room and then promptly began to freak out. 

"The Ice-Cold Hero of Seoul", Cygnus stood before him, eyes dark and stormy behind his mask of black feathers. Cygnus was notorious for being a remarkable Hero with an ice-cold sense of justice. He inspired fear in many Villain's hearts- and also civilians' hearts- but Jeongin had never seen him as anything less than awe-inspiring. His appearance was the only part of him that Jeongin found scarily intimidating. The Hero's costume was completely black save for his mask and cape. He had matte black plating on his shoulders and chest that made him seem even more robust than he actually was. That didn't mean he wasn't sinewy and strong. Jeongin swears that if he wanted to, Cygnus could break him apart with his pinky. (He's secretly glad that Cygnus isn't a Villain because then they'd all be screwed.) 

Cygnus stepped forward, his cape billowing behind him. Jeongin had always liked that part of his costume the best. Cygnus' cape was made of hundreds of black, iridescent feathers that glowed a soft green-blue when they hit the light a certain way. It was a mesmerizing thing to watch. The cape looked warm, Jeongin thought randomly. He was suddenly aware of the fact that he felt incredibly cold and was shivering slightly. 

The Hero had apparently gotten tired of waiting and decided just to pull the woman away from Jeongin. She put up a bit of a fight as she hit her fists weakly against Cygnus' plated chest, yelling at him to leave her alone. She turned quickly to grab a glass and gripped it tightly as she swung her hand at him, attempting to attack him with it. Almost too quick to see, Cygnus' hand shot out and grabbed the glass, halting the woman's movement. Jeongin gaped as he saw frost start to form on the glass' surface. The liquid inside froze almost instantly and Jeongin could see the vapour rising off of the glass in curls. The woman let go of the glass before Cygnus froze her hand to it, but Jeongin could see the beginning of frost crystals forming on her skin. 

Cygnus calmly set the glass down on the table, ignoring the many eyes that stared at the vapour flowing off of it, and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. For a second, Jeongin was scared that he was going to get mad at her for attacking him, but the Hero just lead her calmly away, asking a nearby bartender to make sure she got home alright. 

"As for you," He turned to address Jeongin sharply. "Come with me." Jeongin felt his heart drop at the demand but obediently followed as the Hero made his way out of the bar. He shrugged on his jacket as they exited the building, but he still felt the bitter cold gnaw at his skin. He didn't even try to hide his shivering now, it was impossible. 

 

Now a safe distance away from the club, Cygnus turned back to ask him, "Are you okay?" Jeongin was surprised by the sincere concern in his voice. The icy tone he held earlier seemed to have melted away, now replaced with this more compassionate one. When Jeongin didn't reply the Hero pressed, "She didn't do anything to you, did she?" 

Jeongin snapped out of his stupor and quickly shook his head. "No, no, she didn't do anything. Just tried to… kiss me I guess." He shuddered, remembering the uncomfortable heat between them when the woman had leaned into him. The air around him dropped abruptly and Jeongin startled at the feeling. 

Looking up, he met Cygnus' eyes, which could only be described as chilling. They burned like coal, dark and furious. Feeling like he needed to say something, Jeongin tried to calm the Hero down. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm fine. She didn't do anything." Somehow, it worked, and Jeongin could see Cygnus' eyes soften and his demeanour change. 

Suddenly, two pairs of footsteps rang out through the streets, hitting the ground quickly and urgently as their owners ran towards Cygnus and Jeongin. Jeongin tensed, thinking that they might be in trouble and Villains might've found Cygnus and decided to attack him. Luckily, he was mistaken. A very familiar face ran up to the two of them. One he had seen only a couple nights ago. 

"Everyone okay here?" Vox asked, a little out of breath. "Oh, Jeongin! I see you've met Cha-ahem, Cygnus." Jeongin frowned a little in confusion. Did Vox nearly slip up just now or was that his imagination? And also- Jeongin could have sworn that he had heard two sets of footsteps one. Was he going insane? 

Remembering his manners, he addressed the Hero. "Y-yes I have. Excuse me for asking Vox, but did you come here alone?" 

A look of confusion crossed Vox's face and he asked, "What do you mean?" 

Jeongin panicked, flustered under the Hero's curious gaze. "I-um, I just thought I heard two pairs of footsteps but I was probably just imagining things." He trailed off at the end, failing to notice the look that Vox and Cygnus shared. He did, however, catch that Vox's eyes flickered towards a spot on his right, and Cygnus looked there as well. Strange, Jeongin thought as he observed the two carefully. Looking where the Heroes had glanced, he spotted nothing out of the ordinary, which just confused him more. He let out a tired sigh, pressing his palms to his eyes. 

“Um, well I have to go now,” Cygnus stumbled awkwardly, waving a small hand at Jeongin and then Vox. “And you should too. You don’t want to be late to work tomorrow- Though working on a Saturday is tough,” Cygnus trailed off before getting back on track. “Anyway, I’ll catch ya later,” Cygnus gave them a small salute before turning to go. He hesitated for one second before leaving in a flurry of dark feathers. Jeongin waved back as the Hero ran into the shadows of a nearby street, vaulting up an alley staircase. A second after he left, a strange breeze passed him, and he felt something brush up against his arm, sending goosebumps running up his skin. ‘What was that?’ He thought with a shiver as he glanced around. No one was in sight. Deciding to drop it, he turned to Vox. 

“S-so what were you guys doing here? I imagine you weren’t here to have a drink,” Jeongin said, addressing Vox with a small voice. 

Vox gave him a sheepish grin, pushing his brown hair back. “Yeah, um, we were out doing Hero business. Busting a drug ring, actually. So I’d-uh, I’d recommend not coming back here.” 

Jeongin almost swore- key word being almost. Woojin had taught him well- when he realized that his friends were still in the club. “Oh god, I forgot!” He yelled, fisting his hair in his hands. Vox looked alarmed and opened his mouth to probably ask what he forgot, but Jeongin answered it before he could. “M-Minho hyung! Ch-Changbin hy-hyung, and Seungmin hyung! Oh my god, I’m such a horrible friend!” 

Vox looked panicked and he raised his hands, possibly to calm him down, but Jeongin kept rambling on. “Minho hyung was dancing somewhere in the club! What if he’s still there? What if he’s waiting for me? Oh my god, oh my god, oh my-” 

Jeongin felt two hands wrap around his waist and a pair of soft lips press against his cheek. “Hey, Innie, calm down. We’re okay, see?” Jeongin blinked confusedly and looked to his side. Changbin’s smiling face stared back at him alongside Minho, who was the owner of the hands wrapped around him. 

“It’s cute that you were worried, though,” Minho’s teasing voice came from over his shoulder, and even though it was just Minho being Minho and teasing him, Jeongin couldn’t help the tears that pricked in his eyes. He looked away quickly, but soft hands suddenly cupped his cheeks, softly moving his head towards their owner. 

“Hey, Innie, don’t cry,” Changbin cooed, pressing their noses together with a small “Boop!” Jeongin couldn’t help the smile that turned his lips up. 

“Hey, guys, what’s going on?” Seungmin strolled up to them, his smile flickering when he saw Jeongin’s tear-filled eyes. 

“Ah, nothing,” Changbin dismissed, giving Jeongin a small wink. Jeongin grinned back and leaned into his hyung heavily. Sniffing a little, he realized that he had momentarily forgotten about his burning migraine. 

He wrapped his arms around Changbin’s lithe form and whimpered a little, “Binnie-hyung,” He whined a little, feeling the exhaustion hit him like a truck. “I think I’m getting sick.” 

Minho, always the mother, intervened to place the back of his hand on Jeongin’s forehead. He frowned and stroked the maknae’s cheek. “I think he is, Binnie. Let’s get you home, my little desert fox,” He ruffled Jeongin’s hair with a small smile. 

Jeongin groaned at the nickname but gave in and started to walk towards his neighbourhood. He was stopped almost immediately by familiar hands grabbing his shoulders. “Oh no you don’t,” Changbin said and stepped in front of him, bending over. Jeongin stared at him before Minho prodded him forward. 

“C’mon Innie, if you don’t do it then he’ll get sulky, and no one likes a sulky Binnie. Although he’s still cute.” Minho chuckled and prodded him forward. 

Jeongin sighed and looked to Seungmin for help but his hyung just nodded towards Changbin’s waiting form with a sneaky smile. 

With a sigh, Jeongin gave in and climbed on top of Changbin’s back, snaking his arms around his neck. Changbin grabbed his legs and hoisted him up a bit, making sure he was secure. And off they went, heading back towards Jeongin’s house.

“Wait, hyung!” Jeongin realized something suddenly and strained his neck to turn, looking for Vox. He wanted to at least apologize for causing some trouble and derailing whatever plans they had going on, but the Hero was gone. Jeongin felt slightly bad for not thanking the Hero. 

“What is it, Innie?” Seungmin asked, looking slightly concerned as he tried to spot what Jeongin was looking for. 

Jeongin sighed. “Sorry, hyungs. It’s just… I wanted to say a proper thanks to Vox. He’s just so nice and I troubled him by making him feel like he needed to stay with me… He’s one of my favourites.” Jeongin decided firmly. 

He didn’t notice Seungmin’s small smile and the pinkish hue that had settled in his cheeks or the way that Minho pouted and nudged Seungmin with a jealous but happy look.

Changbin spoke softly, “I’m sure he knows you’re sorry, Innie. Don’t worry about it. And you’re right,” He smiled discretely at Seungmin as he said, “Vox is really nice, isn’t he?” Seungmin’s cheeks just flushed darker and he looked away, but anyone could see the huge smile he wore. Anyone except Jeongin, of course. The maknae was too busy clinging to Changbin like a sleepy koala and trying not to nod off. 

In the end, he couldn’t help his eyelids from slipping shut, giving into the lull of sleep all too soon.

 

In the midst of the busy night, Jeongin had forgotten that somehow, Cygnus had known that he was working the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will have a double Hero appearance, so get ready for that!! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> ᵐʷᵃʰ! (´•ω•｀♥)
> 
> (Did anyone catch the RPDR reference I put in there?∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿ I'm so smooth ⁿᵒ ᶦᵐ ⁿᵒᵗ )


	6. The Phantom Hero of Seoul, Ghost & The Shapeshifting Hero of Seoul, Omnis: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeongin cried out in fear but was silenced quickly when he felt the distinct shape of a gun’s barrel press up against his chest. 
> 
> “Not a word.” A voice growled, and Jeongin clamped his mouth shut, too scared to find out what would happen if he did talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!
> 
> Some of you may realise that I added an extra chapter to this fic- and that's because as I was writing this chapter, it turned out to be extremely long, so I split it up in 2 chapters. This is the 1st of those two. 
> 
> I hope you like it!

Jeongin woke up late the next day, all signs of a fever gone. He faintly remembered what has happened the night before, but it all came rushing back when he saw a little box with a post-it note on it depicting a happy sun and the words, “Good morning, Innie! Make sure you don’t have a cold, okay? If you don’t then come to work. Don’t be late today! (Even though we know you probably will be)”. Scoffing a little at the words, he carefully opened the box, smiling broadly when he saw the small, heart-shaped chocolates. 

Taking one and popping it in his mouth, he set to work getting ready for the day. He drank a glass of milk (Woojin said he was a growing boy and he needed it) and made some toast to eat. After breakfast and a quick shower, he was off to work. 

He walked to the big office building, glad that it was nearby his neighbourhood. Heading inside, he met some of his co-workers and friends. Bambam, Jackson, and Mark all waved at him from where they sat in a meeting room, probably discussing their ideas for the foreign affairs newspaper. All three of them handled international news and broadened their audience with their multilingual skills. Bambam stepped out of the meeting room quickly and gave him a bright “Good morning, Jeongin-ah!” Followed by a small request to “Please remind Chan to call me- I swear that one works too hard! Tell him to get more rest!” Bambam joked a little, but Jeongin nodded intently. That was one thing that most people in the office agreed on. Bang Chan was a tremendous worker and a fantastic writer, but he had the tendency to overwork himself to complete all of his tasks. Jeongin was reminded of all the times he had left the office and come back the next day to find Chan either still working- hunched over his laptop in a painful looking way- or fast asleep on the couch in his office, too exhausted to continue. 

“Sure, Bambam-hyung!” He replied and returned the soft smile that the Thai reporter gave him. 

A loud, “Bammie! Get back in here, man! I need you~” Courtesy of Jackson left both reporters scrambling to get back to what they were doing. Bambam waved a hasty goodbye and Jeongin saw Mark in the corner of his eye mouthing a sheepish “Sorry,” to him. He dismissed the apology with a smile and set off on his way, looking for his hyungs. 

He had just gotten into the elevator when a hand slammed in between the doors, giving Jeongin the biggest heart attack of his life. “Hold please,” A voice called out and a slim yet muscular figure slipped between the doors, balancing a stack of papers precariously atop a silver laptop. 

Jeongin’s heart chose that moment to give out- and rightfully so. Park Jinyoung- JYP, the JYP- stood in front of him. Mr. Park was Jeongin’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss’s- the list went on and on. The point was- he was the owner of the company, and Jeongin’s career was basically completely in his hands. He hadn’t ever gotten close to him, and he definitely didn’t see himself getting closer any time soon. Mr. Park was a genius- his news company was one of the biggest in Korea and he was running one of the major competitors in the oligopoly of news. In Jeongin’s eyes, he was a myth. 

A myth that was standing right in front of him, saying something- oh shoot! 

“Oh! S-sorry sir, could you repeat that?” Jeongin mentally berated himself for being so careless. His mother always did say that he got caught up in his thoughts too much. 

Forcing himself to pay attention, he managed to catch the man’s next words. “Ah, I asked what floor,” He gestured towards the many buttons on the side of the elevator door, and Jeongin wanted to face-palm so bad. (He managed to restrain himself) 

“O-of course, sorry sir. Um, floor 9, please.” 

JYP just gave him a slightly confused but genuine smile and pressed the button for the 9th floor. When he didn’t move to press another one- presumably the one for the floor he was getting off on- Jeongin started to get confused. 

That was, until JYP said, “Ah, wait I remember you,” Jeongin looked up sharply at that and met the man’s eyes. “You’re the reporter in Chan’s division, right?” Jeongin nodded in response and JYP laughed softly. “I have to drop off some things for Chan. That silly boy is going to work himself to the grave.” He shook his head, but a fond smile graced his lips. Jeongin found himself sharing the same look. 

“That’s Chan for you,” He replied affectionately, thinking of his hyung. 

A small chirp sounded out and the doors slid open, allowing them to now exit the elevator. Jeongin pressed a button to hold the door open for his elder, who gave him a nod of thanks as he passed. 

Jeongin was about to leave the elevator and go to his office when JYP turned back with a serious look on his face. Jeongin felt his eyes widen and gulped nervously, wondering what his boss was going to say. 

“Jeongin,” The man started, sounding a little concerned. “Be careful out there, okay? I know you’ve run into a lot of trouble with Villains and one day the Heroes might not be so fast to come and save you. So, make sure to take care.” He turned and started to walk away and Jeongin swore he heard his boss murmur a small, “We can’t lose such a good reporter.” 

Although maybe that was just his imagination. 

He was jolted back to reality when the doors suddenly closed shut. Jeongin yelped and scrambled to open them back up, but by the time he had pressed the button, he was already descending. He sighed, leaning his head against the elevator doors. 

It was going to be a very, very long day. 

 

… 

 

“See, I told you all that he’d be late.” Jisung’s teasing voice was the first thing Jeongin heard as he walked into the common room, slumping down in a chair. He crossed his arms on the table and laid his head on them. He groaned tiredly, refusing to look up. 

That was, until, someone slid a mug of coffee in front of him. The energizing smell drew him out of his little, imagined bubble and he lifted his head up to thank whichever hyung had given the drink to him. 

“80% milk, 19% sugar, 1% actual coffee. Just the way you like it.” Changbin’s smirking face stared down at him and Jeongin rolled his eyes but blew him a small kiss in thanks nonetheless. The older tutted and pulled a chair up next to him, sitting down. “You can do better than that, Innie.” Jeongin sighed but entertained him. He leaned over and pressed a light kiss to Changbin’s soft cheek. 

Jeongin, now too drowsy to move, just pressed his face into Changbin’s shirt, “Thank you, hyung.” He mumbled tiredly into the warm fabric of Changbin’s cotton shirt. His hyung just laughed and hugged Jeongin tight. 

“Hey, hey, hey! I want my Jeonginnie cuddles too!” A whiny voice called out and Jeongin and Changbin both turned to see Jisung attempting aegyo. They both gave him a blank, slightly judgemental look in return and he sighed loudly. “Oh, shut up and just cuddle me.” He whined, gently pushing Jeongin off his chair to sit down in it. He pulled Jeongin onto his lap and wrapped his arms around the younger, who just went with it. Changbin handed him the mug, telling him to be careful because it was still hot. Jeongin set to work drinking it, not stopping until all of the frothy milk and coffee was gone, and all that remained were mere drops. Jisung decided then to start kissing him, peppering little pecks all over his face, making him smile and giggle. It also nearly made him drop the cup, so Changbin intervened. 

“C’mon guys, we have to get to work soon. Or else Woojin and Minho will come and hound us for goofing off.” Jisung and Jeongin shared twin groans but got off the chair, Jeongin now feeling energised and ready to work. 

Jeongin headed to his office and sat down, cracking his knuckles loudly. He started to practice the script for the broadcast he had later today. Before he knew it, hours had passed and he got a message from Seungmin telling him to come to the common room for lunch. The message was followed by a rather worrying “You might want to hurry up and stop what’s happening.” 

Jeongin all but ran out of the room, concerned that something bad might have happened- maybe an argument or fight… 

Reaching the common room, he found that it was something much, much worse.

All of his hyungs save for Changbin, Seungmin, and Minho were crowded around Jisung and Felix, who were cackling like witches. Chan and Woojin had small smiles on their faces while Hyunjin was trying to hold back his laughter. Changbin was strangely red in the face and appeared to be hiding from the others with his face squished against Minho’s back. 

“What is it?” Jeongin asked, trying to peer at the small phone screen that Felix held. “N-nothing!” Jisung gasped, gulping for air as he heaved with laughter. 

Jeongin snatched the phone from Felix to see that it was playing a video on repeat. It had over a thousand views and the likes kept going up. 

He felt his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates and his mouth hang open as he saw the video. Jeongin watched grainy but still relatively clear footage of himself pressed up against a wall awkwardly. Cygnus, in all his feathered glory, was standing a meter or two away from video-him, holding the woman from the bar by her shoulders. 

“Oh my god! This is not happening!” Jeongin yelled, pressing his hands to his face. Woojin just chuckled softly, putting an arm around their distressed maknae.

“It’s not that bad, Innie-” 

“Not that bad?” Jeongin exclaimed. “Hyung! A video of nerdy me getting saved from a drunk lady by Cygnus, one of Seoul’s biggest heroes is going viral! It’s horrible! I’m going to be the laughing stock of the entire office!” 

“Well, at least you looked hot?” Hyunjin piped up from across the room, cheeks bright from holding in laughter. 

Jeongin narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms madly. “It’s not funny, hyung!” 

Jisung and Felix exchanged a glance before bursting out into laughter once more. 

Jeongin would later admit that he had been a bit immature but at the moment he was too fired up to care. He grabbed his satchel and stormed out of the room, ignoring Jisung and Felix’s instant apologies and Chan and Minho asking him to come back. 

He blinked away angry tears and something inside of him wondered why he was crying. It wasn’t such a big deal… was it? Yet he continued to rush through the office, not noticing when Momo and Tzuyu, two fellow co-workers, tried to say hi to him, or when Wonpil and Jae asked him what was wrong. Reaching the doors of the building, he stepped outside, a wave of goosebumps running up his arms when the cold air hit him. 

Too annoyed to care, he continued walking, choosing not to look back. His phone started buzzing in his pocket and he moved to turn it off before realizing that however mad he was, that would be a stupid idea. He didn’t answer his phone, however. He had his limits. 

He’d later find out that that decision may have been what saved his life. 

Jeongin passed street after street until the cold started to affect him a little more and he began to shiver slightly. Curse his dumb inability to stand cold places. 

He started to turn to head back to the office building when a particularly strong shiver ran up his back, making the hairs on his neck stand up. Sensing something was wrong, he turned back just in time to see a wicked smile and the opening of a bag as it was pulled over his head, engulfing him in darkness. 

Jeongin cried out in fear but was silenced quickly when he felt the distinct shape of a gun’s barrel press up against his chest. 

“Not a word.” A voice growled, and Jeongin clamped his mouth shut, too scared to find out what would happen if he did talk. 

“You’re coming with us.” 

 

… 

 

To Be Continued

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heheheh sorry for the cliffhanger! I'll update in the next two days or so!
> 
> How was your day today? Mine was pretty uneventful- just cooked with my Mom (≡^ ∇ ^≡)
> 
> Thanks for reading! （*＾3＾*）


	7. The Phantom Hero of Seoul, Ghost & The Shapeshifting Hero of Seoul, Omnis: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time, Jeongin had just been kidnapped by a mysterious Villain oOoooOoOOoo 
> 
> Anyway, this chapter he'll be saved by two of the SKs!! Also poor Jeonginnie, I hurt you too much my boy. This chapter has more emotional whump than whump-whump but the fluff is some goooood stuff *pinky promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for all your sweet comments! You all inspired me to write and post this chapter faster than I would have! 
> 
> Thank you all! Hope you enjoy this chapter <3

Sensing something was wrong, he turned back just in time to see a wicked smile and the opening of a bag as it was pulled over his head, engulfing him in darkness. 

Jeongin cried out in fear but was silenced quickly when he felt the distinct shape of a gun’s barrel press up against his chest. 

“Not a word.” A voice growled, and Jeongin clamped his mouth shut, too scared to find out what would happen if he did talk. 

“You’re coming with us.” 

 

... 

 

Jeongin had been moved from place to place, but finally, his kidnappers had decided to stop. The bag covering his face had been torn off, and he had been tied to a cold, metal chair. He prayed that they didn’t find the phone in his pocket that vibrated softly ever couple minutes or so. His hyungs were still trying to find him, he realized with a slightly hopeful feeling in his heart. They were going to save him, he was sure of it. 

His shirt was just long enough that it would cover his pocket, but if he let anything slip, he was as good as dead. He was just surprised that his kidnappers hadn’t searched him or anything. It was almost like they wanted someone to show up to save him. 

“So, you’re our bait, huh?” A sudden voice interrupted his thoughts and he startled, knocking into the back of the chair. 

A man dressed in black stood in front of him, tapping a red and black, metal baseball bat against the concrete floor sporadically. Jeongin recognized the Villain in a flash- his red and black mask and ruby cape gave him away almost instantly. 

Cypher, a Villain that mainly targeted the Hero groups BTS and Ikon, grinned devilishly at him. Because of his abrupt flinch, Jeongin gave out a little squeal as he nearly tipped over. Nearly. Cypher, surprisingly, stepped forward just in time to catch the edge of the chair and right it, making sure he didn’t fall. “Can’t have our lure damaged, oh no. That would be most unprofessional.” The Villain smirked in response to Jeongin’s questioning look. 

Jeongin just stared at the man, confused and slightly disturbed. “Lure?” He asked. 

Cypher nodded, his grin glinting like a crocodile’s. “You’re our little bait, Kitty. Our beartrap. We know all about your connections with those Heroes.” Jeongin frowned in confusion and Cypher snorted and responded, “Don’t think we don’t know about you and those kid Heroes,” He smirked. “Stray Kids, I think they’re called?” 

Jeongin’s blood froze in his veins and his heart started thudding as fast as a hummingbird’s. “Wh-what are you talking about?” 

“Oh, Jeongin, Jeongin, Jeongin,” The Villain tutted, shaking his head. “Don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” He paced around Jeongin, trailing his hands on the back of his neck and the creases in the back of his shirt, making Jeongin squirm. “The Stray Kids can't seem to stay away from you, Kitty. You were saved by-” He paused, miming deep thought, “Four of them? Five of them? It’s hard to keep count.” 

Jeongin glared at the Villain and spat out, “So what? Your plan is what exactly? Use me as bait to lure them out and catch them? They’ll never fall for that.” He held back a flinch when Cypher grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, staring right into his eyes. 

“You’d be surprised what a little motivation can do.” He shoved Jeongin back, and the chair rocked back and forth, unstable on its rickety legs. “I’ll be back in an hour. Don’t try to escape, it’s futile. We’ve got eyes all over this place. It would be better if you just stayed put, Kitty.” The Villain cackled and walked towards the door, swinging his baseball bat at his side. 

“He’s not a ‘Kitty’ he’s our Desert Fox, and you can go to hell.” The sudden words stopped the Villain in his tracks and both him and Jeongin turned to see who was there. 

The answer, peculiarly, was no one. 

The voice seemed to have come from nowhere and everywhere, rebounding off the walls and echoing throughout the vast room. 

“Who’s there?” Cypher growled, gripping his baseball bat tightly, raising it above his head. 

“We’re right here, jerk.” A new voice sounded out, seemingly from right behind Jeongin. He turned slightly just in time to feel a breeze pass him and what seemed like a hand pat his shoulder somewhat reassuringly. 

Jeongin looked back to see a lean rodent- a squirrel- bite away the tough fibres of the rope. It looked up at him with intelligent, bright eyes and raised a little paw, fingers curling into a… a miniature thumbs up? Jeongin knew his eyes were probably the size of dinner plates and his jaw was touching the ground, but he forced himself to focus on what was happening before him. 

Cypher was swinging his bat around wildly, not caring where he was throwing his swings. Every so often he’d be pushed back roughly or let out an exclaim of pain and frustration as some unseeable being attacked him. 

With a final blow, Cypher was knocked against the wall and hit his head hard. He instantly slumped to the ground, unconscious. At that moment, Jeongin felt the tight holds on his hands disappear and he sighed in relief, instantly bringing his hands up to rub the angry, red chafe marks on his wrists. 

The air in front of him flickered for a second before a Hero dressed in a dark grey suit with a darker cape appeared before him. Jeongin didn’t even try to hide his gasp when he saw who was standing in front of him. “The Phantom Hero of Seoul”, Ghost. Ghost’s power of invisibility had become quite notable in the Hero world, as it was a rare power. Not a lot of people knew much about Ghost’s identity, Hero or not, and he seemed okay with that. 

A small chittering from behind him distracted him from the sudden presence of the Hero and he turned in time to see the squirrel from before transform into a lithe figure. 

The person was wearing a bright, sun-yellow suit with a mask of the same colour. With his round cheeks and brilliant smile, Jeongin instantly recognized the Hero as Omnis, “The Shapeshifting Hero of Seoul”. He could transform into almost any animal he was familiar with. So far, the news had reported that Omnis could shift into about fifty creatures, including tigers, lions, bears, sharks, and strangely enough a squirrel- it seemed to be his favourite creature to become.

He didn’t know what to say and just ended up just staring at the two Heroes awkwardly. Their costumes and demeanours contrasted sharply, but Jeongin found that strangely, it seemed to work for them. 

Ghost took initiative and stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “I’m positive your hyungs are really sorry for what they did, so let’s go back, hmm?” The Hero spoke calmly, his voice lulling and sweet. Jeongin found himself nodding before he even comprehended the Hero’s words completely. It worked out in the end though, as he desperately wanted to see his hyungs again. They probably had been extremely worried, plus, Jeongin owed them all an apology for storming out. 

Omnis took his hand, still smiling brightly, and lead him towards Ghost. They shared a knowing look and Ghost took both their hands in his. His brow creased a little in concentration and then he disappeared from sight completely. Jeongin gasped when he saw his own hand connected with Ghost’s start to flicker away from existence. Soon, he wasn’t able to see himself at all. 

“We don’t know how many other Villains are in this place so we have to be a bit careful, hence the invisibility.” The disembodied voice of Omnis explained from somewhere to his left, and Jeongin stopped himself from jolting in surprise. 

“Don’t let go of my hand, okay?” The nearby voice of Ghost said as he gently tugged on Jeongin’s hand, leading him forward. “If you do then you’ll be discovered, and we don’t want that.” He gently added and they began moving forward, Ghost leading the way. Omnis would open the doors they needed to pass through, and occasionally would make quiet conversation with Jeongin before Ghost hushed them. When Jeongin tripped for what must have been the thirtieth time, Ghost presumably turned to Omnis to ask him to let go of his hand for a second. The corridor they were in was vast and empty, and no one seemed to be coming, so Omnis let go. Jeongin watched with bated breath as Omnis appeared from thin air. The Hero’s yellow suit was brighter than he remembered and his light hair shone a pretty hazel. It would take a while before he was used to the whole invisibility thing, he imagined. 

Omnis quickly shrunk down to squirrel again, clambering up what Jeongin assumed was Ghost’s leg. The small rodent remained visible until it reached about shoulder-height. Judging by the height, the squirrel had situated itself exactly there- on Ghost’s shoulder. With a small chitter, it disappeared- and in his head, Jeongin could still see the little smile it seemed to have. Jeongin regained his focus when he felt two hands grasp his own and Ghost’s quiet voice, “It’s easier to walk when you imagine where you’re going. Close your eyes and visualise yourself walking down this corridor. We as humans rarely look down at our feet when we’re walking towards a determined destination. Try to utilise that.” 

Jeongin nodded, before awkwardly realising that Ghost couldn’t see him, so he let out a small, “Okay,” before doing what the Hero said. He imagined walking down the path and outside. Back to where his hyungs were. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right, repeat. Jeongin ran through the steps in his mind, still clutching tightly to Ghost’s warm hand. 

“You can open your eyes now, cutie.” A familiar voice said and Jeongin blushed as he opened his eyes, blinking in the harsh light. He hadn’t even realised that he’d closed his eyes. Before him stood the fully visible form of Ghost, his muted suit facing him. The Hero had a small, flirty smile on his face and Jeongin found his blush deepening under the man’s stare. His attitude seemed to change abruptly. Looking away, he noticed that they were outside. He could see the outline of the JYP building in the near distance. He didn’t even try to hide his surprise as he glanced around. How had they gotten out so fast? He suddenly remembered Omnis and looked around for the Hero, but he was nowhere in sight. There was no small rodent perched on Ghost’s shoulder or a yellow-clad, smiling man standing anywhere

“Well, I hate to interrupt your thinking, baby, but I think a couple hyungs are waiting to see you.” Ghost smiled and began walking down the street towards the JYP building. “I also have someone I need to see now, so excuse me for leaving you here.” Ghost bowed, smirk still on his face. He blew Jeongin a kiss and disappeared, vanishing from sight. Jeongin could still hear his footfalls as he walked away and a sudden memory struck him. The previous night at the bar when Jeongin had heard two sets of feet and the mysterious breezes that seemed to come from nowhere… Had Ghost been there that night with Cygnus and Vox? 

His thoughts were interrupted yet again by a sudden screech and a warm body colliding with his. “Jeongin!” Jeongin’s hands instantly came up to hug the figure who slammed into him in an attempt not to fall. Light hazel hair and worried but relieved brown eyes met him as he held out the person at arm's length.

“Sungie-hyung?” He exclaimed in surprise at the sudden appearance of his hyung. “What are you doing here?” 

Jisung swatted his arms and chest, seeming mad but happy at the same time, which just confused Jeongin even more. “Are you okay, Innie? They didn’t hurt you did they?” 

Jeongin shook his head no and Jisung’s form relaxed. He immediately opened his mouth again presumably to scold him for being so reckless when someone beat him to it. 

“Yah! Yang Jeongin! How dare you give your mother a heart attack like that!” The very familiar voice of his very own Minho hyung yelled from across the street and Jeongin groaned as he saw the black-haired man run over to him. “Do you have any idea how scared we were when you didn’t come back to work or your home! Then we track your phone and find out you were kidnapped! I swear if you weren’t so cute-” The elder broke off when Jeongin surged forward and wrapped his arms around his hyung with all his might. Minho’s hands stilled for a second as he blinked in surprise at the unexpected hug. Jeongin fisted his hands in the back of his hyung’s shirt and tried to stop the warm tears from pooling in his eyes. 

“I-I’m s-sorry hyung,” He stuttered, gasping a little as his lithe form shook with withheld sobs. “I’m so s-sorry d-don’t be m-mad, please.” 

Jeongin didn’t see Minho’s heartbroken look and the way Jisung’s lower lip trembled slightly. Both of his hyungs sandwiched him in a tight hug and Jeongin’s shuddering sobs soon subsided to small sniffles. 

“Let’s get you back home, hmm?” Minho asked as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head and Jeongin nodded, letting go of Minho’s shirt. Jisung took his hand in his own and pressed a kiss to Jeongin’s tear-streaked cheek, making the maknae smile. 

Jeongin didn’t even realise that Minho had taken him to his, Woojin, and Chan’s shared apartment until he was met with a worried Woojin and a gentle Chan, who both wrapped him up in a warm hug. 

Jisung, finished with calling the others to tell them that Jeongin was safe and okay, stepped into the room to promise him that he’d come and walk with Jeongin to work later with Felix. He gave Jeongin a final kiss on the forehead before leaving, wishing all of his hyungs a good night. 

Wrapped up in a comfortable blanket with Minho and Chan on the couch, Jeongin struggled to stay awake. Minho and Chan were conversing quietly while Woojin made them all cups of hot chocolate in the kitchen. With Minho’s hands carding through his hair softly, the challenge increased ten-fold. He finally gave into the lull of sleep when Chan pressed a delicate kiss to his forehead and whispered, “Go to sleep, Innie. You’re safe here,” 

Jeongin needed no further prompting. Surrounded by his caring hyungs and the quiet sound of their melodious talking, Jeongin slipped away from reality and into his dreams. 

 

He had almost forgotten in the hectic events of that day, that strangely enough, Ghost and Omnis knew about his fight with his hyungs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the last time that Jeongin saved by the SKs!! I wonder who the Hero who will save him will be... 
> 
> 'Till the next time! (- u - )/


	8. The Angel Hero of Seoul, Princeps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Jeongin meets the last member of the Stray Kids- their leader!! Of course, they can't meet like normal people in a coffee shop or something because the author is a meanie and just wants Innie whump ( '￣∇￣) heh... 
> 
> Anway, enjoy!!

Jeongin stepped into the office with Jisung and Felix close behind him and headed for his own office after thanking his hyungs for walking with him. Felix had squished his cheeks together and smiled, “No need to thank us, Innie!” Jisung had given him a small hug and a paper bag “From Woojin hyung,” He explained with his usually sunny smile. 

Opening the bag, Jeongin was met with a small thermos and a little plastic bag of... marshmallows? He unscrewed the cap to the thermos and the heavenly scent of hot chocolate filled the hallway. He took a sip and nearly melted at the wonderful taste of warm chocolatey goodness. 

After drinking most of the warm drink, he officially started his day. Jeongin walked past Woojin and Chan’s office and upon curiously peering past the glass walls and into it, saw that only Chan sat in the room, typing away on one of the laptops stationed on his desk. Jeongin noticed the large stack of papers on his desk and the silver laptop that JYP had been holding in the elevator the day before lying next to them. He also didn’t fail to notice all the empty mugs once filled with coffee, he imagined. 

Remembering what Bambam had asked him the day before, Jeongin stepped into the room quietly, closing the door with an audible click. Chan turned in his chair and Jeongin gave him a bright smile, despite the worry he felt churn inside when he saw the dark bags under his hyung’s eyes. Chan hadn’t been at the apartment when Jeongin woke up, and Jeongin was willing to gander that the producer had been up for most of the night and all of the morning. 

“Hey, Innie. Slept well?” Chan asked with a soft but tired smile. Jeongin stepped forward to sit on his hyung’s lap, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. Chan’s eyes lit up and his smile grew a fraction at the action. 

“Yeah,” Jeongin said, leaning his head on Chan’s collarbone. “Thanks for yesterday, hyung. Sorry about-” 

“Shh,” Chan hushed him with a finger on his lips. “Don’t apologize, Jeongin, it wasn’t your fault.” 

Jeongin frowned. “But I still bothered you all. I kept you awake and-” 

Chan smiled and shook his head. “Wasn’t going to sleep anyway,” He said, voice deep with exhaustion. Jeongin then took some time to really look at Chan. His bloodshot eyes, the way his posture was slumped, the slight crease between his eyebrows… 

“That was also something I wanted to talk about, hyung,” Jeongin said softly, leaning his forehead against Chan’s. “You have to get more rest.” 

Chan huffed out a laugh, leaning back in his chair. “You sound like Wooj.” At Jeongin’s look, the producer sighed and rubbed his eyes. “It’s not that simple, Jeongin, I can’t just drop everything. There’s stuff to do- scripts to be written, topics to research, reports and interviews to schedule, plans to ma-” He was cut off by Jeongin’s hands reaching for his, squeezing them reassuringly. 

“Hyung, we’re all happy to help, you know? I can handle writing the scripts, and Woojin hyung can edit them accordingly. Felix hyung can do the research and Hyunjin hyung can get pictures for the articles- which Changbin hyung can write. Jisung hyung can manage the articles being posted- sort of the reason why he’s our Social Media Manager, and Seungmin can help with the blogs and websites.” 

Chan opened his mouth, probably to protest, but Jeongin wasn’t done yet. “Hyung, none of them are busy- Felix and Jisung just tried to see how many packets of the coffee sugar they could eat before they passed out- and besides, we all agree that you need the rest. No offence, hyung, but you look like a zombie. And before you argue that we’re all biased from being around you all the time, even Bambam hyung asked me to tell you to get some rest! You should also call him soon, okay?” Realising that he’d been ranting, he flushed bright red and looked down at his lap, too embarrassed and scared to meet his hyung’s eyes. What if Chan got mad at him? 

Chan sighed, but a smile started to spread on his lips. “What did I do to deserve you?” The elder muttered and hugged Jeongin tightly, peppering small kisses all over the boy’s face. Jeongin squealed and squirmed in Chan’s strong grasp but the elder refused to let go until he was done with his adorable, embarrassing torture. 

Chan pressed one final kiss on his forehead before whispering a small, “Thank you,” to Jeongin, who just smiled sweetly. 

“No problem, hyung. Now, what do you need me to do?” 

 

... 

 

That was how Jeongin found himself on the roof of a skyscraper, reporting on what must have been the most boring story in the entire universe. “By 2000, fifty more architectural feats had been accomplished by the City Council. These include multiple playgrounds, parks, and…” Jeongin continued reading from the script cards behind the camera with the fakest enthusiasm and interest he could, occasionally cursing everyone else in the department for being so smart. They had all avoided the story for the longest time, and Jeongin had been forced- by the kindness in his heart- to take the dumb story. The City Council had put in a good word for their company and they needed to repay them somehow, so someone proposed doing a story on their achievements. That had been three weeks ago. Jeongin tried to focus on the mind-numbingly boring story. “For Chan. I’m doing this for Chan hyung. For Chan.” He repeated inwardly, somehow maintaining the disingenuous smile as he continued the pitiful report. 

He could see Chan sitting by the director, giving him an apologetic look as Jeongin dutifully continued reporting. If he just finished this then he would be done reporting for the day and could help out his Chan hyung more. 

But god, this was boring. As much as he did love his Chan hyung, he didn’t think he could continue for much longer. The company didn’t even employ many on the story. It was Jeongin, the cameraman, and Chan- who was overseeing the broadcast. Chan had to insist on coming along quite persistently to be allowed to leave to do this story. He told Jeongin he wanted to come to make sure that everything went well and he needed the time outside, but as true as that may be, Jeongin knew his hyung was probably just trying to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn’t run into any more trouble with Villains. Right now, Jeongin was practically wishing for a Villain to come and make the day more interesting. He realised too late that he might have jinxed himself. 

The breeze around them picked up substantially and Jeongin held onto his beret with one hand, preventing it from flying away in the sudden gale. It had been a gift from Seungmin, who would- as much as he would try to hide it- be disappointed if he lost it. He could see Chan grip the script cards to prevent them from flying away, but one of them escaped his grip and floated with the wind, spiralling as it fell off the side of the building. Jeongin could see the thin paper card flutter and dance as it descended down, down, down, until Jeongin couldn’t see it anymore. 

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?” The question was whispered and delicate, carried by the winds over to Jeongin and Chan, who both tensed. On the opposing rooftop stood a willowy figure, dressed in a smart looking, pinstriped suit and a dark top hat. A silver monocle glinted at them from beneath the shadows of the hat and Jeongin repressed a shudder at the predatory look in the man’s light eyes. He raised his hands suddenly and disappeared from sight. Jeongin hurriedly looked around to try and spot the possible Villain and wondered if his power was like Ghost’s. Could the man turn invisible at will? Or was it something different? 

The soft taps of boots landing on the roof next to them made both Chan and Jeongin whirl around to face the owner of the sound. The man stood in front of them and leered down at them, grinning like a madman. With this, their cameraman turned and ran, slamming the roof door behind him. Jeongin heard the small click of the door automatically locking and his eyes grew wide as he realised what had just happened. He instantly grabbed the door handle and tugged, trying to get it open, but it didn’t budge. They were locked up on the roof. With a potentially hostile Villain. Great. 

“Aw, and I thought we were going to have fun. Hmm, but threes a crowd isn’t it?” Definitely a Villain, Jeongin thought as the man took a step forward towards him. 

Suddenly, Chan stepped in front of Jeongin, shielding the younger from the Villain. “Get back,” Chan growled at the Villain, taking a defensive stance as he held Jeongin back with a gentle but firm hand. 

“Over-protective much?” The Villain teased and took another step forward. Chan met him halfway, despite Jeongin pulling his hand back. “A feisty one, huh?” He smirked. “You remind me of those Heroes. Those annoying, annoying Heroes.” 

In a flash he surged forward and grabbed Chan by the neck, swinging him to the side with all his might. As thin and wiry as the Villain seemed, apparently he had a lot of strength hidden behind his meek appearance. The man practically flung him to the side and Jeongin yelled out in panic as his hyung was thrown clear to the side, disappearing behind the wall of the roof’s storage shed. The exact moment the man threw Chan, a massive breeze had rushed through the area, aiding him in his movement. Jeongin faintly wondered if that was a coincidence. 

“What do you want?” Jeongin yelled at the man, hoping desperately that his hyung was okay. 

The man paused, looking back to Jeongin, grin still intact. “Oh, I never told you my name, did I?” He moved towards Jeongin, pulling down on his suit a little. “It’s Zephyr, boy. Remember it well.” He grabbed Jeongin by the fabric of his tie and pulled him along with him. “Not that you’ll be able to tell anyone anything after this. C’mon boy, say your last words while you still can.” Zephyr chuckled humorously but pulled harder against a struggling Jeongin. 

“Why are you doing this to us?” Jeongin yelled and the Villain looked back at him. 

“Sometimes we Villains just want to have a little fun. Besides, I know you’re close to some… special people.” The Villain arched a brow at him and his smirk turned into a scowl. “One of whom has messed with my plans too many times.” He shoved Jeongin harshly towards the edge of the roof and the reporter gasped as his vision was filled with the dizzying sight of what must have been a kilometre drop. Zephyr hoisted him up over the edge and Jeongin couldn’t hold back a scream as his legs dangled over the edge. The only thing keeping him from falling seemed to be Zephyr’s own strength- and strangely enough, a breeze that pushed him up. 

“P-p-please don’t d-do this!” Jeongin whimpered, his vision was blurred by the warm tears pooling in his eyes. Feeling sick from the terrifying view, he relented, shutting his eyes closed. Tears trickled down his cheeks and fell down, hundreds of metres. Just like he would. The thought made him panic even further. 

“You listening to this, Princeps?” Zephyr yelled, and the winds around Jeongin grew violent. “You seeing this?” The Villain roared. “You’ve failed! This boy is going to die because of you!” With the final word, Zephyr swung Jeongin further out, preparing to let him go. 

Until a voice called out. “I find that you are mistaken, Zephyr. Now step away from the boy.” 

Jeongin struggled to turn his neck to see something he would never forget. 

Sky blue cape swirling in the gusting gale, strong arms covered in blue placed at his sides, piercing eyes covered by a thin mask, the Hero standing before them was the epitome of the word Hero. His light, golden curls and commanding aura instantly clued Jeongin into his identity. 

“Princeps, the so-called “Angel Hero of Seoul’. ‘Seoul’s Protector’. ‘The Prince of Heroes’. ‘The Leader of the Stray Kids’.” Zephyr drawled sarcastically and scoffed and his grip tightened on Jeongin’s shirt. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. 

“Let him go Zephyr. He did nothing wrong.” Princeps said, voice direct but eerily calm. 

Zephyr huffed out a laugh, which slowly escalated from a chuckle to a wild cackling. “You- you-” He huffed through his laughter, “You really think I would let you off the hook that easy? You’ve screwed with me one too many times, and now you’re going to pay.” 

With those words, he shoved Jeongin out and threw his hands out towards the falling boy. A gust of wind thrust him out in the air further, seeming to be controlled by the Villain. 

Jeongin couldn’t tell if he was screaming, or crying, or dead already. Everything was blurred as he fell, icy wind biting through his clothes, cutting him. Lights blurred around him and everything seemed to slow. The next moments would always be fuzzy for him, but he remembered one thing with clarity. 

The strength of warm arms wrapping around him, gloved in a sky blue, holding him tight to their chest. Slowing slowly, until Jeongin felt everything around him still. Lifting an eye open- he hadn’t even known they were shut- he was met with a breathtaking sight. 

Impossibly warm brown eyes, silky blond hair, and a sky blue cape blowing majestically in the wind. The windows of skyscrapers twinkled in the light around them and the pretty colours of the sunset were so close he could touch them. 

“Are you okay?” A soft voice asked him, and Jeongin looked up through wet lashes to see Princep’s worried face looking down at him. Jeongin blinked for a second as he tried to get over the sudden appearance of the incredibly regal Hero. With his crazy red lips and smooth voice and- “Jeongin?” 

Jeongin flushed bright red and looked down bashfully, cursing himself for getting distracted. “I-I’m okay. Th-thanks for catching me.” 

‘Thanks for catching me? Thanks for catching me! I’m such an idiot!' Jeongin yelled inside his head and swore that his cheeks must have been as red as a tomato. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a little chuckle and he looked up in surprise to see Princeps laughing. The leader of the Stray Kids, one of the most formidable Heroes in Seoul, was holding him in the middle of the air, laughing at him. 

Jeongin pouted and looked away frowning and Princeps seemed to realise what he had done wrong. “Hey, hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.” Princeps kept an arm hooked around him tightly and lifted up a hand to brush a stray tear off Jeongin’s cheek. 

The younger sucked in a small breath at the gentle movement and stayed as still as possible. Princeps smiled at him and Jeongin stared back at his benign, doe eyes. A while passed before Jeongin was brought out of his trance by a sudden bird flying in close proximity to the two. 

With a screech he clung to Princeps, trying to get himself as far away from any passing avifauna as he could. The Hero just burst into another fit of laughter, and Jeongin responded with a couple of weak hits to the Hero’s chest. 

“Alright, alright, let’s get you out of here.” Princeps relented and reached for a nearby building. He quickly pushed off of the side of the wall and suddenly, they were soaring through the air as if they had wings of their own. Jeongin clung a bit closer to Princeps in fear but soon relaxed as he took in the amazing view of the stars starting to come out and the lights in the city all turning on. Before he knew it, Princeps carefully set them down on the concrete of the street and let Jeongin go. 

Jeongin finally let go of his vice grip on Princeps’ suit and stepped back a little. Within seconds of glancing at Princeps, he remembered that he had another blonde-headed leader to worry about. He knew that Princeps would notice the shift in his mood and the panic that rose up in his eyes, but before he could ask him about Chan, his question was answered for him. 

“Oh, about your producer friend, that one on the rooftop- he’s okay. One of my buddies helped him out. Speaking of that buddy…” He trailed off as he looked at something- or rather, someone- behind Jeongin. 

Jeongin turned to see Cygnus, in all his feather-caped glory run up to them, expression masked but… concerned? 

“Is everything alright here?” The Hero asked and Jeongin nodded. The dark Hero visibly relaxed and turned to Princeps, who nodded in response to whatever message Cygnus sent to him through his eyes. 

“I have to go, but I’ll be back to save you whenever you need me.” Princeps grabbed Jeongin’s hands and stared earnestly into his eyes. “I promise.” With that, the Hero left, taking off into the night sky. 

Jeongin let out a little sigh, and as he stared at the quickly disappearing Hero, he missed the way Cygnus rolled his eyes a little and the bemused smirk on his lips. 

Going home with Chan- who had appeared shortly after Princeps had left- and Changbin- who had met them on the way home-, Jeongin made his own little promise to the Heroes. The Stray Kids, specifically. 

If they ever needed Jeongin to help them in any way, he would be there. He would be there to pay the Heroes back for all the times they saved him. He swore on his life. 

 

Too caught up in his promise, he didn’t realise that somehow, Princeps had known Chan was a producer, and for some reason, at the exact moment after the Hero left, Chan had come back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AhhHHhh I can't believe this whole story is coming to an end!! With this chapter, Jeongin has successfully met all 8 of the Stray Kids. The next chapter will conclude this whole thing! I'm not sure when I will be able to post it as my week has been insanely busy with tests and I have an upcoming Japanese test so the update may take a while. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for supporting me through this entire project! Your comments really made my day and my week and my month and so on ÚwÚ
> 
> See you all next time (*´w｀*)ﾉ　


	9. The Finale: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Jeongin had woken up he hadn’t expected the world to be ending. Dumb Mondays.

When Jeongin had woken up he hadn’t expected the world to be ending. Dumb Mondays. 

“Breaking news! A band of Supervillains dubbed ‘the Antis’ have started to fill the streets of Seoul, demanding that the Superhero group ‘Stray Kids’ comes out and surrenders.” 

Jeongin threw his coat on as he listened to the broadcast going on, blaring out of his phone. He ran out the door and down the stairs, heading as fast as he could to the JYP building. On the way there he saw people screaming and running in all directions as they panicked. Every shadow seemed to glint with malicious smiles and fluttering capes, and the people of Seoul grew more and more frantic with every passing minute. 

Jeongin ran by abandoned cars on highways and streets and only grew more scared. Seungmin, Felix, Jisung, Hyunjin, Changbin, Minho, Woojin, Chan. All of them could be injured somewhere, bleeding out. He shook the vivid imagery out of his head, ignoring the cold feeling drenching his heart and only ran faster. Doors slammed all around him as people ran for refuge. 

Jeongin nearly tripped on something and stumbled forward, looking back at the obstruction. Curled up on the street, nursing a cut on his cheek, was a little boy. He couldn’t have been older than ten, eleven, and sat there with tears running down his round, flushed cheeks. He looked up to meet Jeongin’s eyes and the older felt something in his chest ache as the kid weakly but determinedly reached out to Jeongin with a slightly shaky hand. 

He instantly crouched down next to the boy and hugged him tightly, feeling the small pitter-pat of his heartbeat pound away. The hands that held onto his shirt sides were small and covered in small cuts and ash. “P-please don’t go-” Jeongin shushed the boy softly and shook his head. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you.” He brushed some of the tears off of the boy’s face with his thumbs and cupped his face, trying to calm the younger down. “My name is Jeongin. What’s your name, honey?” 

The boy shakily inhaled and whispered something too quiet for Jeongin to comprehend. “Sorry, baby? Could you repeat that for me?” 

“M-Minwoo, sir.” The boy whispered hoarsely, still clutching Jeongin’s shirt in his hands. Jeongin nodded and looked around, noting that while their immediate surroundings were quiet, it probably wouldn’t stay that way for long. They had to get out of danger. 

“Okay, Minwoo, do you think you can walk?” Jeongin asked, crouching next to the shaking boy.

“I-I don’t think so, sir. I fell and hurt my ankle.” He glanced towards his foot and Jeongin knew based on the way it was twisted that it was badly sprained, possibly even broken. 

“That’s okay, Minwoo-ah. Here, get on my back.” Jeongin gently said and lifted Minwoo up to an upright, standing position. He crouched down and let the boy clamber gingerly onto his back. After he was situated somewhat comfortably, Jeongin stood up carefully, hooking his arms around Minwoo’s legs. He made sure to avoid the boy’s foot as best as he could. 

“Th-thanks, sir.” The words were uttered close to his ear and Jeongin felt his heart crack a little at the small, teary voice. 

“It’s perfectly okay, Minwoo. Oh, and call me ‘hyung’ okay?” He felt the boy’s head bob up and down and smiled a little before striding forward down the street. He began to run, apologizing profusely every time Minwoo let out a little, pained groan as his foot was jostled by the movement. Luckily, Jeongin could see the building he was headed to right down the street and decided that the best place he could take the injured child was to the office, where he would be cared for. 

“We’re nearly there, okay Min? Hang in there.” Jeongin huffed out, ignoring the way his back ached and his arms grew more and more tired as he continued to run. His legs seemed to be on autopilot as they continued striding forward, getting him and his passenger closer and closer to the glass doors of the office building. 

Just as he ran up the vast steps leading to the doors, they slammed open and the worried faces of his Wonpil and Jae hyungs greeted him. Arms shot out and yanked him inside past the doors and away from the destruction behind them. Younghyun or Brian, as everyone in the office liked to call him- immediately rushed forward to make sure he was okay. Jeongin waved him off and carefully set Minwoo down. He quickly noticed that the lobby of the building was filled to the brim with people- Jeongin recognized most of them in a flash. 

Nearby were Bambam and Yugyeom, Mina and Sana, and his other friends, all looking somewhat roughed up by all the commotion. 

“Bri-Um, Younghyun hyung, he needs help- his ankle is hurt.” Jeongin blinked spots out of his eyes and gestured towards Minwoo, who was being coddled by some of the female reporters- mostly Jeongyeon. 

Younghyun nodded and crouched down next to the boy, asking Yugyeom and Bambam to go and get a first aid kit if they could find one. Minwoo quickly grabbed Jeongin’s hand and tugged a little, and the latter stooped down to hear what Minho wanted to say. 

“Thank you, hyung. You saved me.” The little boy sniffled and his eyes still held tears in them, but he leaned forward and bumped noses with Jeongin playfully. “You’re my Hero, hyung!” He exclaimed brightly and Jeongin could hear several of his co-workers ‘aw’ at him. He didn’t mind the teasing for once- his heart was too full to care. He smiled broadly at Minwoo and the younger smiled back before tapping his cheek with a mischievous grin. Jeongin rolled his eyes but grabbed Minwoo’s face with his hands gently before peppering his face with little kisses as fast as he could. The little boy squealed and giggled loudly, the sound ringing jovially through the cramped building. Jeongin saw several people crack a smile and he cheered a little inside. Everyone needed a bit of mirth in their current situation. 

Soon, Bambam and Yugyeom returned with a total of three first aid kits- the other two were brought just in case they had any other patients they needed to help- and Younghyun and a few others got to work helping bandage and clean Minwoo’s foot. 

Jeongin took the time to give Minwoo one final kiss on the forehead before promising he’d be back. He let the others get to work and leaned against a wall heavily, trying to catch his breath and stop the dizzying feeling in his head. 

“Jeongin!” A frantic voice called out and Jeongin found himself getting pulled into a warm but quick hug. The person in front of him stepped back and he was met with the worried face of Jinyoung. Jaebum was right behind him, looking equally as worried. 

“Jinyoung and Jaebum hyungs!” Jeongin exclaimed, relief flooding through him. “Where are the rest of my hyungs?” He asked, almost too scared to hear the answer. 

Jinyoung exchanged a serious looking gaze tinged with the slightest bit of panic with Jaebum and the leader of his news unit took off in a run, whispering something to Jae and Wonpil as he left. 

Jeongin stared after the fast-moving man and was brought back to the present by a hand waving in front of his face. “Jeongin? Are you okay?” Jinyoung asked him worriedly. 

Jeongin wanted to shake his head and say no, but he knew that wouldn’t help anyone, so he dismissed the want to sink to the floor in tears. “Yes, I am hyung, but where is Chan hyung? Or Minho hyung? Or Hyunjin, or Woojin, or-” 

He cut himself off when he saw Jinyoung’s eyes shifted across the room to look at something. Jeongin turned to spot what he was gazing at, but Jinyoung got his attention back as he said, “They-they’re all probably somewhere around here, Jeongin, don’t worry.” 

Jinyoung was usually a great actor and reporter- he had starred in a lot of commercials and ads for their company- but today his mind seemed elsewhere and he quickly apologised to Jeongin before taking his leave just like Jaebum did. 

Jeongin, now alone, found himself gravitating towards one of the television sets in the corner of the lobby. Some of JYP’s reporters were out catching the action of the Antis’ battles as they were occurring, and they were getting the live feed of the entire thing. Amongst the evil renegades, Jeongin recognized a couple of masked faces. Cypher, Rebellion, and Thrice being three of them. 

Jeongin squinted at the screen just as seven new figures appeared on the streets of Seoul. This district was heavily destroyed by the Antis’ attacks, so it was clear why the Heroes chose that place to do damage control. 

One of them blipped out of sight before reappearing a hundred or so metres away, while another lifted up what must have been a 1000 kg worth of debris like it was a sandwich. Their powers clued Jeongin- who had been analysing Heroes for almost a decade- into their identities at once. He was looking at the well-known and liked Hero group Got7. 

Their leader, JB, was a Hero known for his superpower of super-strength and his calm and cool demeanour. The teleporting Hero dressed in a shimmering green suit akin to snakeskin was Viper, another member of Got7. Jeongin quickly spotted all the other members with ease. Glancing at another channel, he was surprised to see even more Heroes appear. Jeongin saw the telltale insignias on their suits and knew in a flash that the Hero group Day 6 had come to fight. Jeongin could never really shake the strange feeling of familiarity that struck him as he looked on at the rapidly appearing Heroes. More and more of the renowned figures soon appeared after. The cool yet fiery Monsta X, the calm and collected BTS, the slightly unorthodox, sweet Seventeen, and the army that made up NCT. More and more Heroes came to join the fight against the Antis. 

And of course, so did the Stray Kids. 

Jeongin held back a curse as a brilliant blue streak zipped across the large street and slammed straight into a brightly clothed Villain. Scintil stood on the aforementioned street, arms stretched out and still crackling with lightning, victorious grin clearly visible on his face. 

“Hey, jerks! What do you think you’re doing to our home?” Besides the glowing Hero stood the dark figure of Cygnus, who cracked his knuckles ominously.

“You asked for us, and we’re here now. So leave the citizens out of this.” A regal, commanding voice ordered and Jeongin watched as the camera swung to catch the Heroes stalking towards the Villains. Princeps stood in all his glory, haloed by the sun at his back in an ethereal light. His hair shone like golden silk and his eyes were filled with righteous determination. Jeongin felt his breath catch in his throat at the sight. 

Behind the Hero stood Guardian and Ghost, both figures standing tall with as much resolution as their leader. Guardian held his shield, which gleamed in the light. Ghost was already half invisible. All you could see of him was his dark grey suit and gloves, but Jeongin knew the Hero held the same grim but ready expression that the rest of his team did. 

Speaking of the rest of his team, Jeongin spotted the royal purple of Vox’s suit just before the cameraman did, and was expecting the sudden movement of the camera as it tried to get footage of the Hero. Correction: Heroes. Next to Vox stood Cerberus and Omnis who stood strangely close. Jeongin squinted to try and see better and realised that they were holding hands. 

“Ah! Stray Kids! You made it.” An oily voice called out, rebounding off the walls of the buildings. “I see you’ve brought your friends along with you.” The person- who Jeongin believed was male based on the timbre of their voice- seemed to refer to the other Heroes alongside the Stray Kids. 

Jeongin saw Viper- Got7’s Hero- disappear for a second before re-appearing next to Princeps. The Hero’s suit gleamed a mesmerizing purple as the light swept over it before appearing green again as he moved once more. Viper lifted a hand to Princeps’ shoulder reassuringly. In a second, two more Heroes appeared at Princeps’ side, followed by a third. Jeongin recognized one of them from Got7 and the two others from Seventeen. They were Velocity- the speed Hero from Got7 who always seemed to be getting in trouble alongside Viper, Storm- the tall, puppy-like Hero from Seventeen who could control water, and Shadow- the incredibly agile, flexible Hero, also from Seventeen. Solis, or Sunshine, as his team members liked to call him, skidded to a stop next to Princeps as well. Solis, an incredibly bright and energetic Hero from Seventeen that reminded Jeongin of his Jisung hyung, seemed to have abandoned his usually happy air for a more serious one. Jeongin felt a smile creep up on his face as he realised what was happening. With the arrival of none other than BTS' Hero JK, it was certain. The well known “97 Liners” were standing together. 

Jeongin had read and written a lot about the unique group of Heroes. Apparently, they were all born in the same year- something that they had let slip when they cheered their group “name” out in public when they all banded together to stop some jewel robbers- and they had bonded over it. Now they were standing together against a Villain that threatened to destroy all of Seoul. 

“True friendship, I guess?” Jeongin mumbled as he continued to watch. 

“Hmm, I thought we’d keep this private. Company is such a drag.” The booming, nefarious voice sounded out once more and Jeongin swore that the sky got darker with the words. 

Tens of Heroes tensed and got into a defensive stance and Jeongin saw the 97 Liners group closer around Princeps, shielding the Hero from any impending danger. The camera caught the live footage as Princeps rolled his eyes and elbowed his friends, seeming slightly annoyed with their overprotective natures. 

“Who are you?” A familiar voice yelled out and Jeongin watched with slight vertigo as the camera made a wild swing to catch the owner of the call. 

The camera soon steadied to reveal Got7’s weather-controlling Hero Tempest- previously known as Junior- with his fist raised at something, or rather, someone standing in the distance. 

“Look at them, look at them, look at them,” Jeongin muttered under his breath and waited for the cameraman to do so. 

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long. The camera’s feed shakily zoomed in on a dark clothed figure in the horizon. The sun chased away any shadows that could hide the man from view, but Jeongin honestly wished it hadn’t. 

The man’s figure was wiry and thin, engulfed in a large black coat made out of a thick, felt-like material. It covered his entire frame, which appeared to be quivering slightly. Small, veiny hands were held out away from his small frame. Strangely enough, one had slightly darker skin than the other and was missing a finger. The other had the right amount of fingers, but stitch lines were sewn into them, keeping them attached to his hand. They were the only part of his body visible to the others besides his head. Oh, how Jeongin wished that was different. 

Black stitches held together a mangled jaw and sharp, shark-like teeth could be seen jutting out of a missing part of his lip. A mess of stitches and black thread made up his forehead, but Jeongin wasn’t even sure if it could be called that. The man’s forehead seemed to be hanging together by a thread. Literally. He looked like a doll that had been smashed and had its parts replaced. Now they weren’t replaced very nicely, Jeongin noted, trying not to gag at the mismatched flesh on the man’s face. What was most shocking about the Villain were his eyes. One was the colour of amber and hazel and gleamed with intelligence. The other was an icy blue that chilled Jeongin to his very core. He could see crazy in that eye. Jeongin didn’t even want to know where the man had gotten two different eyes. 

“Not that it’s any of your business, Hero, but they call me Malum. I’m only interested in eight of you. The rest can leave.” The man- Malum waved a hand, dismissing them with a lopsided grin. Jeongin realised that only half of his stitched up face held any emotion at all. Even more disturbing than that was the crazed look in the side that could. 

Jeongin saw the flash of movement as JB, Got7’s leader, stepped forward. He wasn’t the only one. Soon, the leaders of all the Hero groups were standing on the frontline together, facing the opposing army of Villains with sheer determination and the weight of countless lives on their shoulders. Jeongin saw Shownu and RM amongst them and knew that everything would be alright. 

They had Korea’s- Earth’s Mightiest Heroes on their side after all. 

A disturbing cackling sounded out over the street and Jeongin felt his blood freeze to ice at the sound. The man- the stitched up, crazy man- was laughing at the Heroes. Laughing. 

“You think that you can stop me?” He bent over in stitches- literally- and wiped nonexistent tears from his eyes. “That’s hilarious.” He righted himself and his expression changed in a split second. His previously grinning face stilled creepily and his eyes bored into the camera knowingly before looking over at the Heroes. 

“Give me the Stray Kids,” He said, eerily calm. “Or die.” 

 

… 

 

No one moved on the battlefield. No one could. The suffocating sense of doom was creeping up on them. They faced hundreds of Villains, maybe thrice as many as their own number. They were outnumbered horribly. 

That didn’t mean they wouldn’t fight. 

With a unanimous roar, the Heroes plunged into action. Jeongin watched with bated breath as the camera shakily took in all it could. He saw beam ice rage across the street, unforgiving and unrelinquished. Heroes all around went flying as a strong, ridiculously agile Hero slammed into them. JK and Cygnus nodded to each other as they continued their attack, keeping the Villains at bay. 

Viper was teleporting at impossible speeds, knocking Villains out left and right. Following him was his best friend, Velocity. The duo took out Villains as fast as they could- which was, Jeongin could admit, incredibly fast. Next to them was Vox, Scintil, and Tempest. Vox and Scintil were making use of their long-distance attacks to keep their attackers at bay while Tempest summoned large storm clouds. 

Around Jeongin and the small television, a large group had gathered. Jeongin took his eyes off the screen to take a quick glance at the people around him. He couldn’t see any of his hyungs or noonas. No Jaebum, Jinyoung, Bambam, or Yugyeom hyungs. No Momo, Tzuyu, or Jeongyeon. No Jaehyun or Wonpil, or Bri-Younghyun. Only the faces of vaguely familiar co-workers and acquaintances. Jeongin tried to ignore the feeling of isolation and worry and instead turned back to the screen. He wished he hadn't. 

A brightly clothed Hero flew back across the screen and slammed into a building wall hard. The force of the collision knocked them unconscious, and Jeongin nearly yelled out when he recognized them. It was Omnis, the bright and happy shape-shifting Hero who had saved him from Cypher- 

A red baseball bat smashed into the side of Omnis’ ribs and Jeongin couldn’t hold back his cry. Cypher himself, the Villain he was just thinking of, let loose a loud laugh and kicked at Omnis’ prone form. 

Jeongin didn’t even see what slammed into the Villain- it moved so fast. A giant slab of concrete connecting with the Villain’s temple sent him spiralling to the floor in a swirl of red and black. Jeongin saw the white cape fluttering in and the furious dark eyes beneath the skull mask and knew what had just happened. 

Cerberus rushed forward, sliding next to Omnis as quick as a bullet. The white-clad Hero pushed Cypher away with his telekinetic powers, pressing him up against a wall even though he was out cold. It was Cerberus’ telekinetic force that had thrown the slab into Cypher, saving Omnis’ life. 

The Hero clutched at Omnis’ bright yellow suit and hunched over him, pressing his head to his partner's chest. Jeongin realised with a pained sting that he was listening for a heartbeat. The seconds seemed to pass like minutes as everyone in the office stopped dead. 

When Cerberus relaxed and fell back with a tired look, a small smile of relief painting his lips, Jeongin heard a collective sigh and some cheers. Omnis was alive. Jeongin hadn’t even realised he had been biting his lips and winced as he tasted the sharp, metal tang of blood. 

His relief didn’t last for long, he would find. 

The next Stray Kids members to fall were Ghost and Guardian, who had been fighting together dutifully against a Hero who could clone herself. With seven clones who seemed to have heightened senses, Ghost was tracked down quickly- even with his invisibility- and was taken down. Guardian continued to fight the Villain but was caught off guard by another one ambushing him from behind. They were both thrown to the ground, boots pressing into the fragile bones in their necks, ready to break them if they did anything.

Vox had run over to help them but was pushed suddenly out of the way by Scintil, who was slammed into by another Villain who had tried to target Vox. They grappled together before Scintil shocked the other with thousands of volts of electricity. His victory was short lived though, as three Villains converged on him at once, attacking him with their powers simultaneously. He almost had them when the third Villain- one Jeongin recognized as the baddie “Kord”- used his power of metal manipulation to wrap several iron pipes around him. Scintil gasped for breath as the pipes squeezed his ribs, threatening to break them and puncture his lungs. Vox tried to fight Kord off, but the Villain thrust an arm out and a wide sheet of metal and two thin steel pipes clamped over the Hero’s mouth, forming into a muzzle of sorts. The metal cage restricted Vox’s sonic screams and the remaining two Villains knocked him out swiftly. 

At the time, Cerberus and Cygnus had taken to protecting Omnis from a group of Villain’s together, but one moment of hesitation from the Heroes granted their opponents a chance. One Villain- a wily one dubbed Demeter, who could control plants- instantly wrapped Cerberus in a cocoon of thorny weeds growing in the cracks of the concrete. Cerberus tried to use his telekinesis to rip the plant apart, but when Hypnos- a Villain with extremely strong psychological powers- pressed his hands to the Hero’s temples and called for sleep, there was no way for him to escape. Cygnus tried to protect Cerberus and Omnis at the same time, but his distracted mind made it easy for Hypnos to gain control over him as well, and soon, the ice-controlling Hero was sound asleep, unconscious in a heap next to Cerberus and Omnis. 

Jeongin quickly counted the number- Omnis, Cerberus, and Cygnus made three. Vox and Scintil made five. Guardian and Ghost made seven. That meant- 

“Hey, Heroes! You wouldn’t want to see one of your precious citizens get hurt, would you?” Jeongin’s eyes widened and his thoughts immediately disappeared. He peered into the screen and cursed as he saw the creepy man appear once more, this time directly in front of the Heroes. 

In a second, everything stopped. 

Malum was holding a little girl with light brown hair done up in pigtails that were no doubt once pretty. Now, her hair was caked with dust and dirt, as was her face, and she was screaming and hitting the Villain with tiny fists. He just chuckled and held her closer to himself, willowy arms poking out of his coat sleeves to press against the child’s neck and waist, pinning her to him. The girl couldn’t be older than six. She had tears running down her round, flushed cheeks and Jeongin felt his heart drop into his stomach at the sight of her uniform shirt and skirt. She went to the school that he used to go to when he was younger. This tiny, otherwise irrelevant fact struck something in Jeongin. He knew that the Heroes felt it too. They couldn’t let her die. 

A figure pushed past all the Heroes, illuminated in the slowly setting sun. 

A tall Hero dressed in a sky blue cape and suit made his way to the front determinedly, ignoring the hands that reached for him and all the voices telling him to stop. 

“Put. Her. Down.” Princeps growled with hands clenched into fists at his side. 

Malum tittered obnoxiously and gave him a grin- or his best impersonation of one. “I don’t think so, Your Majesty.”

Princeps took a step forward but stopped when the Villain grabbed the girl tighter, making her cry out in pain. He held out his hands in defeat and looked down in a show of resignation. “Don’t. Please,” He said desperately, the pain evident in his voice. “She’s just a child.” 

The man tutted, shaking his head. “Oh, but my boy, so are you!” 

Princeps looked up at that, careful questioning in his eyes. 

“Oh, don’t give me that. Your youthful face gives you away. Although you do look a bit grim for what- 20? 25?” 

Princeps gave no reply but Jeongin saw his hands clench into fists, holding himself back. “There’s no need to hurt anyone. Just give me the girl.” 

The Villain scoffed incredulously and gave Princeps a condescending look. “I’m a bit smarter than that, boy. You know what I want.” 

Princeps paused before muttering, “You can have me, just let her go.” 

Several people- Heroes and citizens cried out in disbelief and anger at the Heroes words. The man just chuckled. 

“Hmm… Not good enough. I’ll take you,” He smirked looking past Princeps at the tied up and unconscious members of the Stray Kids. “And them.” 

Jeongin felt his heart stop. 

“W-what?” Princeps was shocked as well- it was evident in the way his eyes widened and his voice left him a little breathless. 

“You heard me, Prince.” The sarcastic, mocking tone of Malum’s voice carried over the silence that haunted the battlefield. “You and your friends for the girl. I’ll take no less.” 

Princeps seemed to steel himself and squared up to Malum once more, glaring at the Villain. “You can take me,” He started, and Jeongin shivered at the power in his voice. “But you can’t take my friends. Ever.” 

Malum paused at the words and for a second Jeongin thought the Villain might relent. Oh, how wrong he was. 

“Well, your resolve is admirable, Hero. As is your leadership.” He smirked before raising a hand. “But I’m afraid you have no say in the matter.” 

In a second, almost too fast for Jeongin to follow, several suited Villains sprung into action, coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. They grabbed the Stray Kids and dragged them with them, using their respective powers to get as close to Malum as possible. 

Malum himself surged forward in an impossibly fast lunge and slammed straight into Princeps. The dark clothed Villain grabbed the Hero’s cape in one hand as he passed and threw him forward. He threw his other hand out and a dark, billowing cloud-like substance spewed out of his fingers, collecting just behind Princeps as the Hero tumbled towards it. 

Jeongin watched in horror as the Hero flew straight into the mass of murky darkness, disappearing from view in a second. The last Jeongin saw of him was an outstretched, gloved hand reaching towards them, and panicked, brown eyes before he was gone without a trace. 

The Villains who had grabbed the remaining members of the Stray Kids- whom Jeongin had forgotten completely about- speedily did the same as their master. Omnis, Cerberus, and Cygnus were thrown in easily due to them all being knocked unconscious. Guardian and Ghost put up a fight with the Villains but eventually were wrestled into the portal-like mass mercilessly. Scintil couldn’t fight back because of the tough metal caged around his ribs and while Vox tried, his punches and kicks didn’t connect with the Villains, who prodded him along with the threat of hurting his partners. 

Within seconds, they had all been herded into the portal. 

Malum stepped up to the swirling mass of dark purple and black, still holding the little girl. None of the Heroes moved, stopped by the Villain’s hostage. He placed one foot on the other side of the portal and Jeongin watched with hesitant fascination as his leg disappeared through the purple and black cloud, plunging through it like a knife to butter. Malum smiled at all the Heroes, who were in various states of despair and anger, before giving them all a small salutation. 

“Don’t look for them, or all of Seoul will pay.” The Villain uttered before abruptly shoving the girl away. Moments before she hit the ground with a scream, Got7’s Tempest caught her with a pocket of wind and Viper teleported her back behind the group of Heroes. In that time, Malum had stepped through his self-made portal. The last they saw of him was a gleaming blue eye and a smile that twisted half his face in a demented grin. 

Within seconds, the Stray Kids were gone. 

Alongside the Heroes disappeared their hope. 

 

Seoul had lost to the Villains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally! We have reached the finale- part 1 of it anyway. 
> 
> Sorry, this is so late! I've been suuuper busy. (I got a really good score on my test tho so thanks everyone for all the kind words/good lucks!!) 
> 
> I think there will be at least 1 more chapter to this finale as it's becoming a reeaaally long chapter. ʷʰᵒᵒᵖˢ ?


	10. The Finale: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m doing this for my hyungs. I’m doing this for the Stray Kids. I’m doing this for my hyungs. I’m doing this for the Stray Kids. I’m…” Jeongin muttered the mantra over and over again under his breath. It reminded him why he was crawling on his hands and knees in the cold, desolate shafts which most likely lead straight to the Villains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRYYYYYYYY 
> 
> I know this suuuuuuper late and I'm so sorry about that!!
> 
> I'm not sure why but this week I just lost a ton of my motivation for writing and I got swept up in all of the events I had going on. 
> 
> Hah in other news, my immune system hates me and wants me to die. I'm sick for the third time this past month yAY. *sighs in suffering* 
> 
> Anyway, sorry again for the delay in this post! 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!! (We finally have some SK whump heheh...)

Jeongin crept along the streets, holding his map in clenched, shaking hands. He pushed forward, trying to ignore the sounds of occasional screaming and voices. He had barely been able to leave, having been stopped once by small arms wrapping around his waist, squeezing with surprising strength. 

He had turned to see the frowning face of Minwoo pouting at him. “Don’t go, Jeongin hyung!” The little boy said, brow furrowed. 

Jeongin’s heart had melted at the sight. He had placed a careful hand on the boy’s cheek and brushed a thumb over the under of his eyes. 

“Hyung has to go, Minwoo.” At the sight of Minwoo’s bottom lip trembling slightly, Jeongin crouched down and gave him a hug. “Don’t worry! Hyung will be back soon, okay?” 

Jeongin held Minwoo at arm's length and cupped the boy’s face. “You have to be strong for me, okay? 

The small nod he got in return was enough for him, and Jeongin gave the little boy one last hug. 

Jeongin snapped out of the memories when loud footsteps sounded out in the street, echoing ominously. 

He ducked behind an abandoned car just as the Villain stepped out into the open. Jeongin instantly recognised the willowy man in the thin, striped suit. His silver monocle winked slyly at Jeongin from beneath the shadows of his top hat. 

Zephyr. 

The Villain that had thrown him off the roof of a skyscraper.

He was also the Villain who had gotten Princeps to save him. For a strange second, Jeongin almost wanted to thank the Villain, but that thought disappeared as quick as it came. 

Zephyr’s footfalls stopped abruptly. Jeongin took a small peek around the side of his hiding place and saw the Villain standing directly in front of an abandoned-looking building. Jeongin almost instantly recognized the building’s layout. This was it. The place where they were holding the Stray Kids. 

And of course, a dangerous Villain who had targeted Jeongin because of his connections to the Stray Kids had to be guarding the entrance. 

Jeongin ran through the possibilities in his mind. He could charge the Villain, but that would be dumb. Zephyr could control the winds and Jeongin was a just a powerless civilian. Plus, if his hyungs found out what he had done, he’d be as good as dead. 

Wait a second… 

Jeongin swung his satchel around and dug around in it, pulling out a wad of slightly shimmery fabric. Ghost’s cape. 

He crossed his fingers and draped the cloth around his shoulders, somewhat surprised at the comfortable weight of it. “Please, please, please…” Jeongin whispered and held his hands out in expectancy. 

They were still there. 

He sighed. Of course, the damn cape wouldn’t make him invisible. It just looked badass (not exactly a negative, he figured). He sighed heavily but kept the dark fabric wrapped around him. For some reason, it seemed to calm his fluttering heart. Maybe because it was so warm in the cold air around him. 

Well, now that the cape theory was debunked, he needed a distraction. Just in case- and because he thought it would be cool- Jeongin reached for another item in his bag. 

Lifting up the light periwinkle mask, Jeongin fitted it carefully to his eyes. He was surprised at how perfectly it fit against his face. He checked his reflection in the rear-view mirrors and his mouth fell open at the sight. 

He looked like a Hero. 

No, he was a Hero. Jeongin determinedly stood up and grabbed a large piece of detritus from the side of the road. With one more peek at Zephyr, who idly fiddled with his monocle, Jeongin arched his arm back and threw with all his might. The rock flew past the car and slammed right into Zephyr’s skull. 

Jeongin gasped in horror. He had only meant to throw the rock to the side so the Villain would presumably go to the source of the noise to explore. With that distraction, he had planned to go through one of the broken windows into the building. 

Now he may have just killed the Villain. 

Figures, the one time he actually wanted to miss a target he hit it. Figures. 

Jeongin rushed forward to the slumped figure of the man and quickly placed his fingers to Zephyr’s neck. However awful Zephyr had been to him, he never wanted to hurt anyone. 

At the slight pitter-patter of a steady heartbeat thumping gently against his fingers, Jeongin sat back and released a heavy breath. 

Getting back on his feet, he steeled himself. He turned towards the building and allowed himself one more look back at the destroyed streets of Seoul before sprinting straight into the shadowed building. 

 

… 

 

Jeongin carefully crept along the dark hallways, trying not to flinch at every shadow that waved at him or every creak that sounded out. He made his way down the endless hallways, past every twist and turn, every identical door, every flickering light, and the infinite grates of airshaft covers lining the walls. 

When he suddenly heard the low rumble of voices carrying through, he did the only thing he could think of. 

Evidently, it had been inspired by all the spy movies he had seen and it probably wasn’t the best move, but he had panicked. 

Jeongin had immediately grabbed an airshaft cover and removed it. He scrambled into it, flopping awkwardly on his side as he tried to wiggle into the hole. 

He managed to get into the airshaft and placed the grate carefully back on the open airshaft just as the voices’ volume increased and he heard footsteps getting closer to him. 

“What was that?” 

“Hmm?” 

“Nothing… Just thought I heard something.” 

“You’ve got to stop drinking so much coffee. It’s messing with ya’ brain.” 

“Shut up,” 

The voices continued to bicker as they passed, and Jeongin let out a shaky breath he didn’t even realise he was holding after the footsteps receded completely. 

Well, great. 

Now he was stuck awkwardly bent in half, in an airvent of all places. 

Actually… Jeongin could use this to his advantage. If he could travel to through the vents to where they were holding the Stray Kids… 

Jeongin set to work fixing his awkward position in the slightly cramped space. He managed to right himself and began crawling through the vents, occasionally pressing an ear to the sides of the metal walls. He faintly heard the thrum of electricity and determinedly set out to find the source of it. Theoretically, the Villains would most likely be in the sector with the most electric power. 

When a large air conditioning unit suddenly shuddered into life with a large bang next to him, Jeongin couldn’t stop himself from slamming his head straight into the hard duct ceiling above him. Letting out a prolonged groan, Jeongin stopped to cradle his pounding head. That was going to leave a mark. “I’m doing this for my hyungs. I’m doing this for the Stray Kids. I’m doing this for my hyungs. I’m doing this for the Stray Kids. I’m…” Jeongin muttered the mantra over and over again under his breath. It reminded him why he was crawling on his hands and knees in the cold, desolate shafts which most likely lead straight to the Villains. 

Jeongin kept on moving through the claustrophobically small space, trying not to squeak at every generator that turned on with a loud thrum, at every mouse that scurried by in one of the vents above him, feet padding quickly across the metal. 

His attempts proved semi-successful. 

Finally, after what must have been hours of clambering through the vents, Jeongin heard something at last. 

Soft voices, murmurs, floating up from somewhere to his left made him still, barely breathing. He carefully crawled his way to the source of the noise and saw several slivers of light shining down one of the air ducts. 

He crawled to examine the source of the light and discovered a grate, similar to the one he opened to crawl into the godforsaken metal pathways. 

He moved closer and his eyes widened at the sight that met him when he looked out at the room below. He clamped his hands to his mouth, squeezing hard to restrain the gasp his throat desperately wanted to let out. 

The walls below were a bright, artificial white. Flickering, intense lights painted the horrific scene below into sight. 

A luminescent glass box stood against one wall, illuminated by the eerie, blue-tone lights inside of it. 

A mass of dark blue-ish black floated in the water, limp and shaking ever-so-slightly. Jeongin felt tears prick at his eyes when he realised what it was. The Hero’s dark cape swirled around him, strangely ethereal in the pale water. Black hair surrounded a pale face like an angel’s halo.

Scintil slammed a fist against the wall of his prison, determined to crack the glass. Jeongin could see that although the Hero was still fighting, he was slowing down and losing strength. 

Looking closer, he saw a silver, metal-looking apparatus stuck to his frozen blue lips. Occasionally, a stream of bubbles would escape the device. Jeongin realised it was an oxygen generator. That was what was keeping the electric Hero alive from drowning in the water. 

The water around him was also what was restraining him from escaping. If Scintil used his lightning powers in the water, he would be zapped with hundreds of thousands of volts of electricity. He would die. 

Jeongin looked away from the sight, but immediately wished he hadn’t. His eyes, instead, landed on a figure dressed in white. You could hardly see the tough structure of his suit, though, as it was covered by interlocking and overlapping chains. The metal restrictors looked so sharp that they could cut the Hero just by touching him. 

That, of course, didn’t stop Guardian from fighting against them. 

The healing Hero bucked and thrashed against the binds, not caring when the sharp metal edge ripped the arms and sides of his suit and sliced into his pale skin. Jeongin squinted at the Hero and saw that he was trying to get to the other side of the room- the area directly below him. 

Jeongin quickly tried to look down and see what Guardian was so distraught over, but he couldn’t see a thing. 

What he did catch, was the small glass box elevated on a metal pedestal. Inside it was a small, furry rodent strapped to the side of the box with incredibly tiny chains. The little creature- which Jeongin identified as a squirrel- was shaking ever so slightly and was looking everywhere but the other side of the room- again, the place where Guardian wanted to get to. 

Jeongin knew with a pang in his heart that the small rodent was Omnis- in his favourite form of animal. 

Inbetween Guardian and Omnis was another restrained Hero. Jeongin recognised the figure- or lack thereof- as Ghost instantly. The invisible Hero was actually visible for once. Jeongin took in the black hair matted with sweat and the bright trickle of crimson running down the monochromatic Hero’s temple. His eyes were hidden under a grey mask and the locks of black falling into his eyes, but Jeongin could tell from his heaving chest and clenched fists that the Hero was mad. Extremely mad. 

A loud crackle drew his eyes and ears towards a Hero dressed in shimmering black curled up on the floor. The Hero was writhing on the floor, hands clenched tight in a painful-looking way. Sweat poured down his face and neck, and he gasped breathlessly on the ground. Jeongin looked on in pure terror at the sight before him. 

Brilliant orange flames curled around Cygnus in a vast circle that surrounded him. The ice Hero seemed to suffer more with each licking flare that whipped towards him. Jeongin had to look away at the solid, grey wall behind him for a second, trying to blink the horrific image out of his head. It was no use. The scene seemed to be tattooed to the backs of his eyes. Jeongin looked back at the gasping Hero and foolishly sent Cygnus the hope for some relief in the torrent of pain he was in. A childish wish, he thought dimly but determinedly carried on scanning the room, now more resolute and determined to help the Stray Kids. 

To the far corner of the room were two figures who were bound tightly by ropes close together. 

One was a very familiar Hero dressed in royal purple. His auburn-brown hair was streaked with blood and dirt, as was his face. What stood out the most to Jeongin was the large piece of warped metal twisted around the Hero’s mouth and nose. Jeongin instantly thought of a dog muzzle. Unlike a dog muzzle, this contraption seemed to press uncomfortably into the Hero’s mouth and prohibited him from making even the smallest noise. 

This was evident by Vox’s pained face and the tears pooling in his eyes as he tried to scream out and use his power to no avail. 

Near him was the prone form of Cerberus, who Jeongin could tell was in a similar state of pain by the grimace on his face. A black strip of fabric was pulled around his eyes tightly, restricting his sensory awareness. His skull-like mask lay beside him almost taunting as it looked on at him with absent eyes. His hands were tied behind his back and stopped him from using his telekinesis properly. Although… Jeongin wondered if the Hero’s telepathy was still working. 

‘Cerberus?’ He called out mentally, concentrating hard on his thoughts. He’d never done this before- he never had to- and it was strangely riveting. The white-clad Hero suddenly jerked up, thrashing against his binds with a flinch. Vox looked over, concern flashing in his eyes. Now recovered, Cerberus quickly looked up, staring straight at the grate Jeongin was hiding in even though his blindfold restricted his sight. 

Jeongin looked straight back at him and hesitantly repeated his mental call. ‘Ce-Cerberus? Can you hear me?” 

A sudden snap clicked in his head and in a flash, a rush of feelings and thoughts invaded his head. The first thing that hit him was the panic, then the fear, and then the dread mixed in with alarmed anger. Then came the pain. 

It felt like blades were cutting into his hands and arms mercilessly and Jeongin barely stopped a pained cry from leaving his lips. 

Then in an identical flash, it was all gone. Sucked away in a whirlpool, like water down a drain. Jeongin heaved a shuddering breath and opened his eyes- which he didn’t even realise had closed. 

‘Jeongin?” The exclaim echoed through his head loudly and Jeongin grabbed his temples in pain. 

‘Jeongin? Is that you?’ Still reeling from the sudden intrusion of his mind, Jeongin failed to respond. A smaller murmur followed. ‘Am I losing my mind…’ 

Jeongin snapped out of his shock and forced himself to focus. ‘N-no it’s me! I’m here!” 

A pause followed before a bright tirade of curses filled his mind. 

Jeongin stayed speechless, not knowing what to say.  
‘Jeongin! You can’t be here!” Cerberus yelled at him, panic and anger clear in the deep bass of his voice. Before he could speak, Cerberus continued. ‘Did I hurt you?’ He demanded, voice holding waves of panic. 

‘Huh?’ Jeongin said in pure reflex. 

‘When we synced up- when our thoughts connected. I was… freaked out by what was happening around me. I think I projected all of my… emotions into you. Are you okay? I know it can be jarring but you have to know I never meant to-’ 

‘Cerberus, it’s okay! It didn’t hurt, I’m okay!’ Jeongin lied slightly but moved on before the Hero could call him out for it. ‘Why can’t I be here?’ 

Cerberus huffed out in disbelief- a strange thing to hear in your mind, Jeongin noted. ‘Are you serious? This is a facility with a crazy amount of Villains and baddies patrolling it. Thank god you haven’t been found out yet! I don’t know what I’d do if you were taken too…’ Cerberus trailed off before stating, ‘What on Earth possessed you to do something so irrational?’ 

Jeongin glowered at his tone. ‘I couldn’t just let you guys be captured! You’ve done too much for me to ignore. I had to do this.” Jeongin paused before adding in a quieter mumble, “You all mean too much to me.” 

There was silence on the other end of their mental link and Jeongin worried he had said something wrong. He hurried to apologise but was interrupted by words spoken softly. 

‘You mean a lot to us also.’ 

Jeongin stopped short and couldn’t hold the silly smile from spreading across his face. 

‘You shouldn’t have come though. That was dumb.’ 

Jeongin frowned and pouted even though he knew Cerberus wouldn’t be able to see it. ‘It was not dumb! You’re dumb for going out there to fight when you knew they would try to capture and hurt you!’ 

Cerberus responded immediately to that, catching Jeongin off-guard. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, Innie. A Hero’s job is to put themselves at risk to save even the most malicious life. We save others, we hunt the people who hurt others, and we make the world a better, safer place. And we do it all for no personal gratification, no personal gain. If Villains attack my home and my people and endanger everyone’s lives for mine, there is no way in hell I’m not going there to put up a fight. I couldn’t call myself a Hero, then.” 

Jeongin was stunned speechless. He hadn’t ever thought of it that way before. 

‘I know,” Came the smirking voice of Cerberus and Jeongin sighed. ‘That pout was adorable, by the way.’ 

Jeongin flushed bright red and questioned, “How did-” 

“I can see and hear everything you imagine and everything you think of bub.” 

Jeongin blushed even darker- which he previously thought was impossible- and cursed the cute Hero. 

‘Aw, you think I’m cute.” 

Well with those freckles and that adorable smile- Augh! Jeongin forced himself to stop as the sound of Cerberus’ laughing filled his mind. 

‘Alright stop! We need a plan to save you and the others! Or did you forget about that?’ Jeongin scoffed sarcastically but instantly felt bad that he said that. 

‘No, I didn’t forget.’ Cerberus sounded more tired now. ‘Just liked the brief distraction, darling.’ 

Jeongin ignored the warm feeling fluttering in his chest and let out a quiet, forlorn sigh. 

‘It’s okay, Innie. Chin up, darling. Your favourite Hero has a plan.” 

Jeongin listened carefully to the Hero’s plan until he was all the way through and done. 

‘You ready?’ Cerberus asked, tone now serious. 

Jeongin took a final look around the torture-chamber like room and took a deep inhale. 

‘Always.’ 

‘Jeongin…’ Cerberus paused uncertainly and hesitated. ‘There’s something else you need to know.’ He sounded too uneasy for Jeongin’s liking and the boy quickly asked, 

‘What? What is it?’ 

Cerberus let out a deep exhale and the pain in his voice was clear in the next words. With the dreadful words, Jeongin felt his heart plummet down into his stomach and his blood freeze to pure ice in his veins. 

‘It’s Princeps… They’re experimenting with him.’ Cerberus took another shaky breath before saying a small voice. 

 

‘Jeongin, they’re killing him.’ 

... 

END OF PART 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you enjoy this chapter? Heheh the cliffhanger... I hope that didn't upset too many of you guys (ಸ ‿ ಸ)
> 
> The next chapter might take a while to completely flesh out and write but I'll try hard to get it out quicker than this one!!  
> I think the next one will be the end to this whole story, which is such a shame and I'll be so sad to see it end but it's been awesome!  
> (╥﹏╥)
> 
> Thank you all for all of your support!! You all are the best (´•ω•｀♥)
> 
> Thx for reading! <3 
> 
> P.S. No one can gracefully enter an airshaft- no matter how cute they are- Innie tried his best (´∀｀)


	11. Defender of Heroes, Yang Jeongin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘I’m ready, C.’ 
> 
> Cerberus seemed to pause in question before realising what Jeongin was talking about. ‘Are you sure, Jeongin?’ 
> 
> Jeongin inhaled deeply and clenched his fists, resolving his fear and tentativeness. 
> 
> ‘Let’s do this.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! I hope you've had a wonderful weekend!
> 
> I'm really sorry that this took so long for me to write, but I really wanted it to be well-written as it is the last chapter ಥ﹏ಥ (Although there are probably a ton of spelling/grammar errors that I promise I'll fix later!!) 
> 
> In other news- RoseTW drew some fanart of the Stray Kids Heroes!!! Rose drew their suits and they look so cool! (I'm dying- it's like a writer's dream to have someone draw fanart for them so this was such a sweet surprise!) (≧∇≦) Here's the link if you want to check them out: 
> 
> https://photos.app.goo.gl/qzQiZRycZ4tRBfwm8
> 
> She said she took some liberties with the designs, which is awesome (´∀｀)
> 
> Anyway, thank you all sooooo much from the bottom of my heart for supporting this story!! You've all made this process so much fun and I can't believe it's all over. 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this last chapter!!!! 
> 
> Love you all <3
> 
>  
> 
> RoseTW on Chapter 10 Fri 15 Mar 2019 09:43PM EDT  
> Hey, I made some designs of the guys... here they are if you want to see. I took some liberties, especially with chan but I got too hooked on the prince name so.. Also you can see I just used a model from posemuse but I always do that when I'm concepting.

Cerberus let out a deep exhale and the pain in his voice was clear in the next words. With the dreadful words, Jeongin felt his heart plummet down into his stomach and his blood freeze to pure ice in his veins.

‘It’s Princeps… They’re experimenting with him.’ Cerberus took another shaky breath before saying a small voice.

‘Jeongin, they’re killing him.’

 

... 

 

“W-What?” Jeongin gasped before slapping his hands to his mouth, icily aware that he had uttered the word out loud. 

Luckily, no one in the room seemed to notice, although Jeongin still received a frenzied ‘Shh!’ from Cerberus. 

‘What do you mean k-k-killing him?’ Jeongin said in his head, struggling to get the words out. 

Something in his mind turned cold and sharp. It was like a sudden gust of glacial wind surging through him, chilling him to the bone. It was gone in a second but a dreadful feeling still lingered in his heart. He wondered worriedly if it was Cerberus’ emotions travelling to him through their link. 

‘They’re… experimenting on him. Trying to figure out his powers and how they work.’ Cerberus’ chilly reply came. 

‘They?’ Jeongin wasn’t even sure if he wanted to know the answer. 

‘There’s a Villain- the big boss, probably. He seems to be the leader of all of the Villains that had assembled.’ 

Jeongin felt a shiver run down his spine. ‘Malum.’ He thought to Cerberus, thinking of the crazy looking Villain he had seen on the television. The one that had stitches running through his jaw and face, creepy mismatched eyes, that psychotic look- 

‘Yup that’s him.’ Cerberus said, reminding Jeongin that he could see what Jeongin was thinking. ‘Him and a bunch of scientists. All in white, wearing creepy masks.’ 

‘S-scientists?’ Jeongin all but whispered. 

Cerberus seemed to hesitate before answering. ‘They seem like scientists at least. You can’t see them, I think, they’re positioned under you sort of.’

Jeongin tried to look for Princeps nonetheless. Cerberus was right, he couldn’t see anything past the Heroes beneath him, which just brought a fresh surge of tears prickling in his eyes. He met Cerberus’ eyes, and the Hero gave him a small smile despite the entire situation he was in. 

‘I’m ready, C.’ 

Cerberus seemed to pause in question before realising what Jeongin was talking about. ‘Are you sure, Jeongin?’ 

Jeongin inhaled deeply and clenched his fists, resolving his fear and tentativeness. 

‘Let’s do this.’ 

 

… 

 

Jeongin crawled through the vents, mentally picturing the route he had gone through before. When he had observed the room with the Stray Kids, Cerberus had helpfully pointed out a vent grate on a lower level right next to Ghost’s feet. It seemed just about big enough for a lean figure to crawl through.

He finally figured out the correct pathway- with much help from Cerberus, who calmed him down and kept him distracted while he climbed through the claustrophobic space. Finally, he took a final turn and was met with the small lines of light falling through the open sections of the grate cover. 

Peering out of it, he tried to make out the layout of the room. 

What he saw crushed his heart into a little ball and squeezed his chest so hard he couldn’t breathe. He felt a shudder of breath escape him in a rush as his mind comprehended the horrifying scene playing out in front of him. 

Sound hadn’t carried very well into the upper vent he had been hiding in previously, but now he could hear much better. Jeongin absolutely detested it. 

Because now, he could hear every trembling gasp and every pained groan that Princeps let out.

‘Jeongin, wait!’ Cerberus called out, but Jeongin barely heard it. Instead of answering or listening, he rushed forward to press his hands and face to the grate, trying to catch sight of the Hero. 

The first thing Jeongin took in was the Hero’s arms, hanging off the table he was strapped to limply. Thick, crimson blood dripped off of them, running slowly down his arms in harrowing rivulets. Jeongin followed them, feeling sick, as he watched it drip down to his fingers and fall to the too-white floor, which was now splattered with the sickening colour. 

Jeongin’s eyes travelled slowly up. No matter how hard he tried to stop them, they just kept going, wanting to see more. Needing to see more. 

Princeps’ formerly sky blue suit was now unrecognisable, stained dark with blood, and was cut open straight down his chest. It exposed the pale skin of his chest, which was bound to the table by thick, strong cords. The slash seemed to be cut carefully, which surprised Jeongin. Why would Princeps’ captors care about such a cut like that? The answer came to him when he saw the scientists standing around the table, brandishing their sharp scalpels and needles. One of them, in particular, stood out to Jeongin, only because of the manic, shark-toothed grin plastered across his unmasked face. The grin stayed on his face, and even worse, stretched out further in glee as the man pressed a sharp, serrated scalpel to Princeps’ impossibly pale skin, dragging it across the Hero’s chest. 

Jeongin clamped his hands to his mouth and turned away, collapsing against the icy wall of the vent. He tried to ignore the bile rising in his throat and the restrained groans that Princeps huffed out as the Hero writhed in agony. 

“Stop it! Stop doing that! Stop it,” A scream just as pained as Princeps’ voice yelled out and Jeongin instantly recognised the voice as the one that had been talking inside of his head for the past hour. 

“Just stop! What has he done to you?” Cerberus continued to scream, and Jeongin could hear the tears forming in the boy’s eyes. His words blurred between Korean and heavily accented English. Jeongin felt a pang in his heart as he realised something. 

Cerberus was just a boy. Like him. 

The masked Hero was no Zeus. No Hercules. He wasn’t some heartless leader or tactician. Under the mask, Cerberus was just another human. He had powers, sure, but besides that, he was just like Jeongin. Cerberus had emotions. He felt them, experienced them, lived them. 

And now, he was in the worst sort of pain imaginable. 

He was seeing his friend being killed in front of his very eyes. 

Jeongin knew he had to act then. 

Using the distraction that Cerberus was providing to his advantage, he carefully pushed the grate open, sliding it to the side. Holding his breath, not daring to make even the slightest of noises, Jeongin crept out of the vent. 

He immediately slid behind the now still figure of Ghost. He wasn’t entirely sure if the Hero had seen him, but he was willing to bet that he had. 

Just in case, Jeongin extended carefully from his crouched position and leant forward. He was incredibly careful to keep behind Ghost’s figure and out of sight, but that was relatively easy as the Hero was taller and had a larger build than him. 

Jeongin leaned forward, almost brushing his forehead against Ghost’s dark locks. “Ghost,” Jeongin breathed out, so quiet that he wasn’t even sure if he was actually speaking or not. “Ghost, it’s me- Jeongin. I’m here to save you.” 

In a flash, Ghost’s hands, which were held at his sides by rope, clenched into tight fists. They forcefully relaxed again in seconds and Jeongin breathed out shakily. So Ghost had heard him. 

“Hold still,” Jeongin murmured and started working at the rope tied behind the Hero’s back in an attempt to loosen it. The knots were tough but not too intricate. In minutes, Jeongin had untied the knots completely, which was surprising even to himself. With how bad his hands were shaking, he hadn’t thought he’d even get through one of the knots. 

Jeongin pulled on the rope with the utmost of care, not rushing. Soon, all of the rope was coiled in a small pile on the floor next to him and Ghost was free. Immediately the grey-clad Hero disappeared from sight, like a cat slinking into the shadows of an alley. 

Almost as quick, Jeongin felt strong arms wrap around him tightly, squeezing with all their might. Jeongin’s breath escaped him quietly, and he hugged back immediately. He felt Ghost tuck his head into the crook of Jeongin’s neck, despite their height difference. It didn’t take long for Jeongin to realise that the Hero was shaking with contained sobs. Jeongin held him and tried to fight the tears flooding his eyes. Ghost gained control of himself quickly but didn’t let go of Jeongin. He realised then that the Hero had made them invisible using his powers. 

Jeongin found Ghost’s face quickly with his hands and leaned forward. He whispered the plan he and Cerberus had come up with to Ghost quickly and when he felt the affirmative nod in return, they set to work. 

Jeongin felt Ghost begin to guide them across the room. Jeongin held on tight to the Hero’s hand, and the Hero did the same. Soon, Jeongin was standing directly behind the restrained form of Vox, who was visibly trembling with anger and exhaustion. Making sure he was positioned behind the sonic Hero and out of sight, Jeongin gave Ghost one final embrace before letting go of the Hero. Just as Ghost let go, Jeongin swore that a soft pair of lips brushed against his cheek, searing delightfully into his skin like warm flames against cold hands. Jeongin pressed a hand to his cheek and wondered if he had imagined it, although his skin still burned. 

He flickered back into view and immediately, Cerberus’ eyes shot towards him. The telekinetic, telepathic Hero gave Jeongin a small nod from where he stood next to Vox and then closed his eyes in concentration. 

Across the room at that exact moment, Cygnus and Guardian looked up at Cerberus sharply before they both began to shout loudly, yelling at the scientists and Malum. 

Jeongin locked eyes with Cerberus once more and mouthed a quiet “Thank you,” for providing the telepathic instructions for the distraction before turning to Vox. The sonic Hero moved his hands behind his back, startling Jeongin. He looked down in time to see Vox’s hands shift into two thumbs up. Jeongin smiled and stood on his tiptoes, unfastening the metal muzzle-like contraption from where it was wrapped uncomfortably around Vox’s nose and mouth. How the Hero was still breathing was a mystery to Jeongin. 

Jeongin gripped the metal pieces firmly and wrenched them away with silent but great effort. Vox immediately took in a shaky breath, his voice coming out in a hoarse whisper as he turned to Jeongin. “Thanks.” 

Jeongin smiled at the Hero briefly before untying the ropes that bound the purple-suited Hero. 

Just as Vox’s ropes fell to the floor with a muted noise, a large commotion broke out in the other half of the room. 

Jeongin looked up in time to see a large, beautifully striped, tiger slash its claws into the lab coat of a nearby scientist. The tiger morphed from the exotic beast into an enormous, formidable grizzly bear. The beast roared and knocked over tables of medicine and blood bags- Jeongin realised with a sick feeling that the blood belonged to Princeps, and was greatly thankful that Omnis had created the distraction that kept the scientists from prodding at Princeps with even more torture devices. Speaking of Omnis, the shape-shifting Hero had transformed into a falcon and was circling the air, jabbing the Villains left and right with his sharp beak. 

Ghost, who had been the one to free Omnis from his glass confinement, had joined Omnis in his sudden bout of action and was flickering in and out of sight, taking down the white-clothed Villains as fast as he could.

Jeongin, seizing the moment of chaos, dragged Vox over to Scintil’s glass box of water. The breathing apparatus stuck to the Hero’s lips was releasing fewer and fewer bubbles every passing minute and his eyes had started to flutter lazily in the water. His limbs floated limply by his sides and the electric Hero had stopped struggling. 

“Please, please try to break the glass,” Jeongin spoke urgently, his eyes as pleading and desperate as he could make them. He didn’t need to say anything, apparently, as Vox had already begun building up his sonic scream in his throat, determination and fear shining in his eyes. 

Jeongin, now assured that Scintil would be saved, ran back over to Cerberus. He quickly untied the Hero’s hands, hoping that Omnis and Ghost were keeping up the havoc they were wreaking. Cerberus let out a deep sigh as the binds on his hands dropped away, and rubbed his wrists. The ropes had chafed them red and raw, and Jeongin hissed in sympathy as he examined them. 

“It’s fine, Innie,” Cerberus gave him a reassuring nod and then abruptly whirled around to look at something across the room. Jeongin followed his gaze and his eyes widened as he saw Vox inhale deeply before letting out the loudest, brightest scream Jeongin had ever heard. The onslaught caught everyone off-guard, it seemed, and Jeongin saw he wasn’t the only person to press his hands to his ears in a sore attempt to dampen the extremity of the scream. 

He hadn’t even realised he had closed his eyes until he forced himself to open them. Spots danced in his vision like dark fireflies and he blinked them away quickly. Vox’s heaving form met him first, then the sound of glass cracking into a spiderweb hit his ears. His eyes followed the noise to see the glass walls of Scintil’s cracking like broken ice. The fracture spread across the entire face of the glass until Vox stepped forward and laid a single finger on the water prison’s wall. 

The sound of sharp ringing echoed through the room as the glass shattered, collapsing to the ground like fragments of stars. A flood of water rushed out of the now broken box, spilling onto the floor. Cerberus’ hands shot up and Jeongin gaped as all of the water flew up into the air, collecting in a wavering mass. Cerberus was tense with concentration and Jeongin saw that his arms were shaking. 

His attention was taken by the pale, drenched figure who grasped weakly at the sharp remains of the glass box. Jeongin rushed forward just in time to grab Scintil as the Hero fell forward, hands outstretched in desperation. 

Jeongin wrapped his arms around Scintil’s shivering body and gently lowered his debilitated form to the ground. He sat with the Hero’s head resting on his lap. “Scintil?” Jeongin shook the Hero’s shoulders softly. Scintil’s alarmingly pale face did nothing to calm the worry he felt deep in his chest. “Scintil? Scintil, please wake up.” Jeongin shook the Hero’s shoulders anxiously, trying to stay calm even though his lungs felt like they were being squeezed so hard that he couldn’t breathe. The Hero had stopped shivering at some point, and Jeongin felt terror slash through him like a deathly cold blade. 

Jeongin leaned over the Hero and listened closely for any sign of breathing. After seconds of silence, Jeongin’s eyes widened and his heart dropped to his stomach. “No,” He breathed out in horror, pressing his ear to Scintil’s chest. “No, no, no,” Jeongin whispered, pressing his hands to his mouth. “You can’t- you can’t die. You can’t be dead.” Jeongin sobbed, tears clouding his vision. “S-Seoul needs you,” He heaved for breath, hopelessly trying to quell the suffocating panic hitting him at full force. “I need you!” 

Jeongin forced himself to act and immediately placed his hands on Scintil’s chest, interlocking the fingers of his hands to keep them in place. The basic first aid training he had received in the many health and safety lessons in middle and high school came flooding back to him and he acted on pure, desperate instinct. He started pressing down on Scintil’s chest steadily, keeping as even a pace as he could. “One, two, three,” Jeongin breathed out shakily, keeping count of his compressions. He reached thirty and stopped, bending over to try and catch if Scintil had started breathing again. He hadn’t. 

Jeongin tried to keep the tears from spilling out of his eyes, but he couldn’t stop them. How many seconds had it been? Minutes, even? How long had it been since Scintil had stopped breathing? Since his heart had stopped? Since he had died- 

Jeongin forced the thoughts away and continued the gruelling compressions. He stopped and tipped the Hero’s head back, making sure his chin was lifted. Jeongin noted dully the tears that fell onto Scintil’s cheek, hitting the pallid skin softly. He didn’t fully realise that they were his. 

Scintil’s ice blue lips parted and Jeongin bent over the freezing cold Hero. His hair was plastered to his forehead and he looked like a ghost, but somehow, he was as handsome and vivid as the first day Jeongin had met him, atop that rooftop. Scintil had been the first Hero of the Stray Kids he had met. He sure as hell wasn't going to let him die. 

Jeongin clamped Scintil’s nose closed with his fingers and pressed his lips to Scintil’s frozen ones. A jolt ran through him, making his heart race. Jeongin ignored the feeling and pushed his rising emotions away. He never wanted it to be like this. 

He transferred his air into Scintil’s lungs and watched as the Hero’s chest rose and fell with the admittance of oxygen. Jeongin continued this for a couple of breaths and then started the compressions all over again. 

He was a shaking and crying mess, and he was sure that he looked insane, but he wasn’t going to admit defeat so easily. He couldn’t. 

All of a sudden, Jeongin thought he saw Scintil’s chest twitch. When it didn’t happen again, he dismissed it hastily as a hallucination and desperately prepared himself to administer the next set of compressions. He stopped and fell back when Scintil suddenly jerked and began coughing up water onto the floor. Jeongin let out an abrupt cry of relief that surprised even himself and immediately rolled Scintil over on his side. The Hero shook with each cough that rattled his chest, and Jeongin knew from the sound of it that they hurt a lot, but he was effectively dispelling the water in his lungs, and for the moment that was all that Jeongin cared about. 

Scintil rolled over onto his back and deliriously met Jeongin’s worried eyes. “Hey, cutie. Missed me?” Scintil croaked out and Jeongin crumpled in exhausted relief. While the Hero was still frighteningly pale, Jeongin started to see some colour seep back into his cheeks. 

“You nearly- you did d-die-” Jeongin gasped out, his relief now replaced with the immense feeling of panic and need to cry. 

Scintil blinked in confusion at Jeongin’s sudden change in mood and scrambled to do something to stop the younger’s panicked frenzy. “Hey, hey, hey! You’re good! You’re fine- I’m fine! See?” Scintil said quickly, grabbing Jeongin’s hands. He placed them over his own chest. “Feel that?” Scintil breathed hastily, and Jeongin paused. 

“Wh-what?” 

Scintil pressed his hands down. “Just stop for a second, and feel that.” 

Jeongin wasn’t sure what he was talking about until he felt the gentle thudding of Scintil’s heart flitting against his palms. Despite what Jeongin expected, it was quite calm- calmer than he would have expected, seeing as the Hero hadn’t been breathing minutes before- 

“Hey,” Scintil whispered, catching his attention. “I can see the wheels turning in that big brain of yours, Jeongin.” He smiled at the younger before saying, “While I usually love that, I need you to stop for a minute, okay?” 

Jeongin flushed at the unexpected compliment but nodded. “Okay,” He murmured softly. Scintil gave him another smile and Jeongin found himself returning it. 

“Jeongin,” The Hero started, holding onto the younger’s hand a little tighter. 

“Huh?” Jeongin said on instinct, feeling his cheeks flush even brighter.

“Don’t you think you should at least take me to dinner before you pull a move like that?” 

“Wh-what?” Jeongin stuttered, mortified and confused. 

“That kiss, I mean.” Scintil’s lips- which had regained their usual red colour- were pulled up in a teasing smirk. 

Jeongin gaped at the Hero. His cheeks could not get any redder. It was impossible. From what he remembered, the Hero wasn’t even conscious when Jeongin had given him the rescue breaths. “H-how’d you-” 

“Just a feeling,” Scintil said coyly, his smirk growing wider. 

Jeongin opened his mouth to berate the Hero, but someone beat him to it. 

“Hey Lovebirds! I need a little help over here!” 

Jeongin whipped around right as Cerberus dropped his arms, seemingly exhausted from using his telekinetic powers. Cerberus fell to his knees, bending over in fatigue. Jeongin watched as the huge mass of water he had been levitating dropped to the ground, all over Cygnus. 

And the fire surrounding the Hero. 

The hiss of quenched flames filled the room and Jeongin found himself pulling himself to his feet, ignoring the pain shooting through his legs at the sudden movement. He hesitated for a second, glancing down at Scintil, who was sitting up but still remained on the ground, too weak to stand. 

Scintil grabbed the fabric of Jeongin’s shirt and pulled him down. Something in his eyes made Jeongin pause uncertainly. 

Scintil gave the younger a small smile and pulled Jeongin towards him suddenly. Soft, supple lips pressed against his cheek, sending a flood of warmth coursing through him. 

“Go get ‘em, Desert Fox,” Scintil quipped before dropping his hand from Jeongin’s shirt. 

He blinked in surprise but somehow managed to give Scintil a quick nod before stumbling over as fast as he could to Cygnus’ side. He slid to a stop next to the Hero and immediately let out a sigh of relief as he saw the Hero was breathing. 

“You shouldn’t be-” 

“Here, yes I know.” Jeongin finished for the Hero. He gave Cygnus a tight hug and relished the feeling of tension leaving the Hero’s form. They stayed like that for what seemed like minutes, but Jeongin knew it was actually something more like seconds. 

“I need your help if you’re up for it,” Jeongin whispered in Cygnus’ ear and the Hero instantly pulled back, a serious expression slipping back onto his face. 

“What do you need me to do?” 

Jeongin pulled him up and helped him towards the chained up figure of Guardian, who’s arms were stained red by the blood seeping out of the cuts marring them. Guardian stopped struggling against the chains and instead physically relaxed at the sight of Jeongin and Cygnus. 

“Thank god you’re okay,” Guardian breathed out, closing his eyes momentarily in relief. 

“We all will be soon,” Cygnus reassured as he pressed his hands to a section of Guardian’s chains. “I’ll make sure of it.” 

Jeongin grinned. Cygnus was smarter than he let on. He knew what Jeongin was going to ask him to do before he even said it. Cygnus’ expression grew tense and focused, and Jeongin felt the temperature around them drop substantially. Guardian grimaced at the change but didn’t say anything. 

“If it hurts, tell us, okay?” Jeongin stepped forward, addressing Guardian.

The healing Hero nodded slightly, brown hair falling into his eyes at the movement. Jeongin wondered if the Hero would actually say anything. Hopefully, they wouldn’t need to find out. 

Cygnus’ hands were pale and radiated a sharp, blue-ish white. The chains he was touching were quickly turning ice-cold and brittle. Soon, they would break, Jeongin thought. 

With a loud, wrenching noise, they did exactly that. Cygnus immediately stopped freezing the chains and withdrew his hands, tucking them under his charred and torn cape. 

Guardian audibly sighed as Jeongin ripped the restrictor off, leading the rest of the chains to fall off of his form, hitting the floor with a large noise. Jeongin stepped forward to help the Hero, but Guardian brushed him off, instead stepping towards the far end of the room. 

“Jeongin, stay back.” He warned before he tapped Cygnus quickly on the shoulder, running to the opposite side of the room. Cygnus followed him without hesitation, and Jeongin watched helplessly as they sped to help Ghost and Omnis. 

Looking over at Scintil, Jeongin let out a sigh of relief as he saw the Hero being supported by Vox. Vox looked completely drained, but the Hero still helped Scintil into a standing position, acting as a supporter. They were making their way over to Cerberus, who was slowly recovering from his excessive use of his telepathy and telekinesis. 

Jeongin quickly scanned the rest of the room. Everyone was accounted for… except- 

Jeongin sprinted over to the table as fast as he could, thinking of Princeps’ limp, lifeless form. All of the scientists were engaged in fights with the rest of the Stray Kids- this was Jeongin’s chance! 

He skidded next to the table, grabbing onto the edge of it to stop. Jeongin immediately leaned over the table, assessing the damage done to the Hero. 

What he saw instead shocked him. 

Blood-stained lips parted ever so slightly met his gaze first. His eyes travelled up to see the graceful curve of a nose, and then reached the dark eyelashes that fluttered delicately against pale, round cheeks. Dark, rusty crimson covered the side of light, blonde locks, which framed the Hero’s face. Nestled up against his hair was a tattered, light blue mask. 

Jeongin felt his heart stop in his chest, a sudden, deafening roar filling his ears. His hands clenched frantically into fists and Jeongin barely felt the sting of his nails cutting into his skin. Everything seemed to stop as he took in the terribly familiar face in front of him. 

Strapped to the table, bleeding out onto the cold, harsh metal, was Chan. 

His hyung Chan- his hardworking, kind, amazing hyung who had always been there for Jeongin since the very beginning. The man who had created a whole new kind of family for him, the man who had welcomed him with open arms into his group. 

The man who donned a cape and mask, and faced unbelievable danger every single day to save even one life. 

Chan, dressed in the light blue of one of Seoul’s favourite Heroes, was dying. 

“J-J-Jeongin,” Jeongin was jolted out of his sudden, horrific revelation by the small words. Princeps’- no, Chan’s eyes were fluttering open, and his cracked lips were moving slightly. 

“Wh-what is it, Prin-Chan hyung?” Jeongin leaned forward urgently, grabbing Chan’s hand from where it hung limply off the table. 

Chan’s eyes darted away from his and focused on something behind Jeongin. Before he could look to see what exactly Chan was gazing at, something- or rather, someone, interrupted him. 

“Oh, this is a pleasant surprise, isn’t it?” An oily voice chuckled from behind him and Jeongin momentarily forgot all of his shock and dismay, instead turning to see who had just spoken. 

He wished he hadn’t. 

Grotesque black stitches, mismatched eyes, a manic smile- Malum stood in front of him in all his deranged, psychopathic glory. 

“Hmm, I’ve seen you before somewhere, haven’t I?” The Villain took a step towards Jeongin, reaching out his stitched up hand to Jeongin’s face almost dubiously. “You’re their little pet, aren’t you?” 

Jeongin, on pure instinct, slapped the man’s hand away, gagging when the limb twisted unnaturally. Malum’s fingers- the four of them that remained on the hand- were crooked and broken, facing different directions, and his wrist was a mangled excuse for flesh and bone. 

“Well, that was rude.” Jeongin looked up from the malformed limb, fear piercing through his heart as he met the amused, somewhat judgemental amber iris, and the cold, glaring blue one. Malum withdrew his hand and stepped forward again, imposing and intimidating in his stature. 

Jeongin stepped back, despite himself and winced as he bumped into the sharp edge of the table. He couldn’t help but surly think about the bruise that the impact would create. 

“What? Cat got your tongue?” Malum simpered his crazy half-grin, deformed lips turning up in a smirk. 

Jeongin just glowered at him, arms outstretched protectively in front of Chan. He tried to look over Malum’s shoulder to see if any of the Stray Kids were coming to help, but the Villain seemed to catch on to his plan. 

Malum pressed forward again, cornering Jeongin like a cat would a mouse. Jeongin couldn’t see anything past the cracked skin and scars that made up Malum’s features and the dark, excessively large coat that engulfed his frame. 

“Hmm,” He scrutinised Jeongin, eyeing the smaller with a gleam in his eyes that made Jeongin want to run. “I see this kitty needs a bit more training.” He let out a laugh that made Jeongin squirm inside. “Or maybe,” Malum uttered softly, the change in tone unexpected and worrying. “The owner is the real problem.” 

Jeongin’s eyes widened at the words, but he was too slow to react to the Villain’s rapid onslaught. 

Malum gripped Jeongin’s shoulder with one hand and threw him to the side. Jeongin hadn’t expected the Villain to have as much strength as he did. The force of the shove sent him slamming to the ground, landing on his wrist with a loud crack. Jeongin saw his vision go white and felt a paralysing pain shoot through his arm like a whip. Tears immediately sprung in his eyes and he let out a silent scream, clutching his arm carefully with the other one. 

He wanted to stay on the ground forever. He didn’t want to fight anymore. He just wanted to give up and stay down.

But Chan. Chan was still up there, and Malum was going to kill him. 

Jeongin felt a surge of something electrifying run through him, awakening every sense in his body. His muscles tensed and screamed at him as he stood up shakily, but Jeongin didn’t stop. He righted himself and took a deep breath, allowing himself one moment of peace before he ran right back into the fight. 

Well, more accurately he stumbled back into the fight. His legs hadn’t seemed to understand the term “cooperation” at that moment. 

Jeongin reached Malum just as the Villain moved to reach into his coat, no doubt for some sort of serum that would kill Chan in a heartbeat. 

Without a second thought, Jeongin slammed all of his weight into Malum, pushing the Villain away violently. Malum stumbled to the side, disoriented, but didn’t fall. He whirled around to face Jeongin, and this time, all trace of his previously playful attitude was gone. A glare was etched onto his face, finally balancing it out. 

Malum reached inside his coat before sliding out a gleaming, silver knife. The serrated blade winked at him slyly as Malum brandished it wildly. 

“You’ll regret that, boy. I’m going to kill your precious little Hero, and there’s nothing you can do about it.” 

With that, Malum surged forward with lightning speeds, arm outstretched with murderous intent. 

Before Jeongin even knew what he was doing, he threw himself in front of Chan with all of his might, thrusting his hands out in front of him at Malum. 

He caught the Villain’s hands in his just as it plunged the very tip of the knife into Jeongin’s chest. Without even thinking of the pain of the cut, Jeongin twisted Malum’s hands in opposing directions, feeling the sickening snap of his wrists breaking in his own bones. The knife fell to the floor with a clatter and Jeongin kicked it away. Malum’s agonized screams barely registered in his mind as Jeonghin shoved him away. 

Arms outstretched in front of him, he felt a spark run through his body, filling his bones with electrifying power. All he could feel was the insane heat of the surge as it ran through his body, twisting itself around his arms. Jeongin let out a scream to rival Vox as the heat pooled in his palms, making his hands and fingers tremble. 

Just when he thought he was going to pass out from the heat, a bright light erupted from his hands and twin beams of energy slammed straight into Malum’s figure. The Villain screamed once more, a bloodcurdling sound, and Jeongin felt pain pierce through his head like a lance. Jeongin stumbled back until he hit a cold, metal surface- the table that Chan was strapped to. His legs gave out suddenly and he fell forward on his knees. His eyes fluttered sporadically, rolling up to the back of his head as he slowly lost consciousness. 

The last thing he could feel was strong arms wrapping around him and the sudden feeling of vertigo as he was lifted up into the air, held protectively against a warm surface. 

Then, everything went black. 

 

… 

 

The first thing Jeongin felt when he woke up was a warm mass snuggled up against his side. He blinked in confusion at the feeling, questions filling his mind. Where was he? What was he doing there? Why was he there? 

Why was there a husky pressing against his side almost protectively?

Jeongin tried to sit up but immediately stopped when he felt a rush of pain running through his arm and chest, making his head throb in response. 

He couldn’t help the moan of pain that left him as he clutched his throbbing arm. It was encased in a white cast. The cast had been signed with bright, multi-coloured pens and sharpies. 

Jeongin looked at the face of the cast and read the names. 

Hyunjin, Seungmin, Felix, Woojin, Changbin, Minho, Jisung. He vaguely felt like someone was missing from the list, but he couldn’t place who it was. 

“Jeongin! Are you okay? The alarm went off saying that you were awake.” A frenzied voice carried over from the door and Jeongin looked up confusedly to see a group of masked boys enter the room, all looking somewhat concerned. 

The husky sitting by him stirred and woke, yipping happily when it saw Jeongin. The dog hopped off the bed and transformed into a smiling boy. 

“Jeongin! You’re awake!” 

Jeongin’s jaw dropped. There, standing in front of him, was Jisung, dressed in a bright yellow sweater. 

“Jisung,” A figure hissed from the doorway. “Your mask.” Jeongin recognised their white mask as Guardian’s- although the Hero wasn’t dressed in his usual suit. Instead, he wore a simple black turtleneck and jeans. 

Jisung’s smile dropped abruptly and he slapped his hands to his eyes, exclaiming loudly when he realised that Guardian was indeed right, and he wasn’t wearing his mask. 

“Oh, what the hell,” Another figure muttered and removed their mask from their face. Jeongin gaped at the figure- who he had recognised as Scintil. 

Hyunjin grinned at him sheepishly as he ran a hand through his black hair. “Hey, Jeongin.” 

With that, the other Heroes began removing their masks. 

Vox gave him a small, nervous looking smile before he revealed himself as Seungmin. Jeongin was sure his eyes couldn’t get any wider. 

Cerberus shrugged and took off his animal skull-like mask. Familiar freckles and a beaming smile greeted him. Felix waved slightly awkwardly at him, seeming unsure of what to say. 

Cygnus, who was holding hands with Cerbe-Felix, took Felix’s turn as his cue to take off his feathered mask. Changbin tossed his dark hair out of his eyes and held onto Felix’s hand a little tighter. 

Ghost and Guardian exchanged an exasperated glance before they both took off their masks at the same time. Minho and Woojin, now unmasked, stood before him, looking worried at his reaction. 

Jeongin thought his brain was going to burst. 

Woojin opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when a new figure limped into the room, standing precariously on crutches. 

It was Chan, who gave Jeongin a little, hesitant smile as he raised a light blue mask. 

“Surprise?” Hyunjin said, and Jeongin promptly fainted. 

 

… 

 

“I knew we shouldn’t have told him like this!” 

“Calm down, Woojinnie. There was no way we could have known that he’d react like this.” 

“It was too much of a shock!” 

“Guys, guys, shut up! I think he’s coming to…” 

Jeongin winced and rubbed his eyes, blinking the harsh lights out of his eyes. 

“Jeongin?” A gentle voice asked as a hand rubbed his back. “You okay?” 

It was Chan- no, wait it was Princeps- or was it Chan- Argh!

He hadn’t realised he had said that out loud until Chan frowned slightly. He quickly fixed his expression into one of reassurance and said, “Chan. I’m still your Chan hyung, Innie. That never changed, and it never will.” 

Jeongin frowned and took in Chan’s appearance. White bandages were wrapped around his arms and Jeongin could see more peeking at him from under his shirt collar. 

He took in all of his other hyungs, all standing around him. 

Looking at all of their faces and the masks that they all held, Jeongin finally pieced things together. 

The reason why Scintil had known his name when they first met was because Hyunjin had known Jeongin for years. 

The reason why Vox had known where Jeongin had lived was because Seungmin had been there countless times.

Why Cerberus knew he was with Felix at the bank- because he was Felix. 

Why Guardian had known his birthday- Woojin had planned his party. 

Why Cygnus had known when he was working, why Ghost and Omnis had known about his fight with his hyungs- they had all been there to experience it. 

Why Chan had come back the exact moment Princeps left.

The reason for all of it. For the Heroes’ involvement with Jeongin. 

Jeongin realised all of it. 

The Stray Kids, were his hyungs

 

… 

 

After getting over the sudden revelation and epiphany- which had taken quite a while, Jeongin would admit- he had promptly blown up at them. 

And after they had effectively calmed him down- which again, had taken a significant amount of time- Chan had turned to him seriously, quelling the laughter he had been aiming at Jisung and Felix’s antics.

“Jeongin,” Chan started, and Jeongin felt a sinking feeling pulling his heart down. “We need to talk.” 

Jeongin gulped, almost too afraid to ask, “A-about what?” 

Everyone’s faces seemed to grow serious and unsure and Jeongin wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to his question. 

“Jeongin,” Chan closed his eyes and breathed in, which only heightened Jeongin’s worry. 

 

“We need to talk about your new powers.” 

 

…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if I'll make a sequel to this or not, but I wouldn't mind trying!
> 
> Again, thank you all so much for supporting this fic and I hope you all enjoyed!!
> 
> (Who else is excited about SK's new comeback??? I sure as heck am! (●´∀｀●)
> 
> I'll see you all later!!   
> Have a great day/night!


	12. Announcement!!

Hi guys!! 

This is just a smol announcement concerning the future of this fanfic. 

Okay so I asked a while back if any of you would be interested in a sequel to this fanfic, and a lot of people said yes!!   
(Thank you guys for being super sweet about it too! (´・ω・｀)

Because of everyone's kind responses I've decided that I will write a sequel to this story that possibly explores Jeongin's newfound powers and the new group dynamic and stuff. 

BUT!!

Because of school and events happening in my life right now, I will not be able to write for a while, so I cannot get the sequel out right away   
o(╥﹏╥)iᵐ ˢoʳRy...

But I promise that as soon as I have time and am prepared enough, I will start writing the sequel.

I'm trying to put in a lot more thought and time into planning the next one and I do not want to rush the whole process, so I hope you all can understand and are okay with this   
(´・ω・｀)  
|･ω･`)  
|ω・`)  
|ω･`)  
|･`)Hides♪

Thank you all for your constant support and positivity!! You guys are great（´∀`）

Bye for now!! 

 

P.S.   
Just a small teaser- in the sequel I plan to include some fluffy romance and even more whump so look forward to that!! (>w<)


	13. The Sequel!!

Hi everyone, I'm back!! 

Just here to let you know that the first chapter of the sequel is up- if you go to the series this story is in it should be there   
*˚*(ꈍ ω ꈍ).₊̣̇.

Thank you all for all your kind, beautiful, amazing comments! They've helped me through the writing process soooo much!!! 

I hope you all enjoy the first chapter of the sequel and I hope to talk to you all soon!! 

Byeeee!! (*´∇｀)ﾉ

**Author's Note:**

> Welp I accidentally deleted this note today so yAY * ʷᵃⁿᵗˢ ᵗᵒ ᵈᶦᵉ 
> 
> Anyway, if you didn't guess already, Scintil is Hyunjin! BaM! 
> 
> I'll see you all tomorrow for another update!! 
> 
> bYe ┗( ˙◁˙ )┓三三


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